carapace – Not your father's america

New York Times and International Herald Tribune

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/business/austerity-is-no-quick-answer-for-europe-economic-view.html

Christina D. Romer

Economics professor Christina Romer explains why the European Union’s austerity strategy isn’t working and what they could do to lift all boats.

Date: April 24, 2012

Factory Output Edged Down At the Close of a Strong First Quarter

JEC Weekly Economic Digest – April 24, 2012

Industrial Production was flat in March…

New residential building declined in March…

Sales of existing homes decreased again in March…

Click here for the full version of the Weekly Economic Digest.

Economic Growth and the Unemployment Rate – Linda Levine, Specialist in Labor Economics, April 18, 2012

"A persistently high unemployment rate is of concern to Congress for a variety of reasons, including its negative consequences for the economic well-being of individuals and its impact on the federal budget (i.e., deficit growth due to lower revenue and higher expenditures). The unemployment rate was 9.5% when the economy emerged from the 11th postwar recession in June 2009. It climbed further to peak at 10.1% in October 2009. The rate then slowly declined before stalling at about 9.0% for most of 2011. Although the unemployment rate has resumed its decline, at slightly above 8.0% in early 2012, it remains at an historically high level."

2012 Global Forecast – Risk, Opportunity, and the Next Administration – by Craig Cohen, Josiane Gabel

"What the reader will find here in the 2012 iteration of Global Forecast is an effort to look ahead after November’s elections to predict what will be the main risks and opportunities facing the next administration, whether a second Obama term or the first for a Republican president. What are the big issues facing our country that leaders from both parties are not sufficiently prepared to address? Where is an entrenched policy consensus blinding us to the possibility of sudden change, unintended consequences, or harmful second order effects? How can the United States better recognize and capitalize on new opportunities that might arise? This small volume is not meant to be comprehensive, but to provide a window into the thinking of [CSIS] Center for Strategic and International Studies exceptional team of experts who are in demand every day by the private sector, our government, and the media."

Appeal-Democrat [Marysville-Yuba City, CA]

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/prices-115446-study-california.html

Thomas D. Elias

Economists Steven Sexton and David Zilberman, with support from the Center for Energy and Environmental Economics, have co-authored a study about the relationship between gas prices and housing market trends, drawing good news/bad news conclusions.

Food, Gas Costs Push Consumer Prices Higher

U.S. consumers paid more last month for food and gas, but outside those volatile categories inflation was mild … continue

From: Today in Manufacturing.net