Keyword search for ‘Economic Affairs’

History of the Debt Limit

debt

Over the past 30 years, Congress has passed and the president signed 37 laws that raised the ceiling on the amount of money the federal government is permitted to borrow. With the federal government again due to reach its borrowing ceiling as early as mid-Febuary, President Obama has said he will not negotiate with Congressional Republicans over the debt limit, which allows the government to pay its bills and avoid defaulting on its obligations. In response, Republicans scaled back their expectations, abandoning their insistence on dollar-for-dollar spending cuts and instead trying to force the Senate to pass a budget. read more...


The Editors
Jan. 24
12:35 p.m.
Keywords
Economic Affairs

Fiscal Cliff’s Tax Burden

tax-cliff

Tax cuts originally enacted in 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2010 are all set to expire on Jan. 1, at the same time that new taxes enacted in the health care law of 2010 take effect. If Congress does not act to avert any of these scheduled changes, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that households in the middle income quintile, making between about $40,000 and $65,000, would see their federal taxes increase by nearly $2,000 in 2013. read more...


Sarah Vanderbilt
Oct. 2, 2012
2:02 p.m.
Keywords
Economic Affairs

Taxes

Allocating the Sequester

sequester_allocation

As required by Congress, the Obama administration submitted a report today on the across-the-board cuts scheduled to take effect in January. read more...


Sarah Vanderbilt
Sept. 14, 2012
2:42 p.m.
Keywords
Economic Affairs

Housing Indicators Looking Up

housing

The housing market went into freefall in 2007 with the crisis in subprime mortgages and hit bottom in mid-2009. Long after the recession formally ended, key indicators continued to show tepid to nonexistent growth, but there have been strong signs this year that the market has started to turn. read more...


The Editors
Aug. 9, 2012
3:32 p.m.
Keywords
Economic Affairs

Welfare & Housing

GDP Revisions Show Milder Recession, Slower Recovery

gdp

Revisions show that during the recession, real GDP did not contract as much as was thought, declining by only 3.1 percent in 2009 rather than the previously reported 3.5 percent. But the post-recession expansion was also weaker than expected; real GDP growth in 2010 was revised down from 3.0 percent to 2.4 percent. read more...


Sarah Vanderbilt
July 27, 2012
4:15 p.m.
Keywords
Economic Affairs

Revised Indicators Show Slower Growth

revisions

Revisions to economic indicators are commonplace, but the direction they take can be revealing. The graph above shows four indicators from the last half of 2011 through the most current release. In every case, figures that showed promise for a stronger recovery have been scaled back through revisions. read more...


Sarah Vanderbilt
June 1, 2012
2:05 p.m.
Keywords
Economic Affairs

Employment & Labor

Consequences of Fiscal Restraint

fiscal_restraint

Under current law, a wide range of temporary tax and spending provisions are set to expire at the end of 2012, cutting the yearly budget deficit almost in half and as a result imposing considerable fiscal policy restraint on the U.S. economy. A recent report by the Congressional Budget Office suggests that the short-term economic consequences of letting that happen might be severe. read more...


Sarah Vanderbilt
May 30, 2012
11:18 a.m.
Keywords
Budget

Economic Affairs

Taxes

Yuan Appreciation Tops 30 Percent

exchange_rate

Since 2005, the yuan has been allowed to appreciate more than 30 percent against the dollar to its current rate of 15.9 cents per yuan. read more...


The Editors
May 3, 2012
11:18 a.m.
Keywords
Economic Affairs

Foreign Affairs

China Overtakes U.S. in Manufacturing

manufacturing

After dominating the world manufacturing economy for decades, the United States slipped to second place behind China in 2010. read more...


The Editors
April 23, 2012
2:47 p.m.
Keywords
Economic Affairs

Foreign Affairs

Gasoline Prices Projected to Fall

gasoline_prices

The Energy Department’s projections show the monthly retail price of gasoline peaking next month at $4 a gallon before declining to $3.67 by the November election. read more...


Sarah Vanderbilt
April 16, 2012
1:11 p.m.
Keywords
Economic Affairs

Energy