economy – News Stories About economy - Page 15

Analysis

Mar 2, 2010 1:46 PM CST

Brace Yourself, $3 Gas Is Coming Back

Average national price climbs, even though driving is down

(Newser) - Remember the good old days when gas was over $3? Well, get ready for some déjà vu. The average national price of a gallon climbed 4.7 cents last week alone, to $2.702, continuing a trend that saw it rise 76.8 cents over the past year, while...

Public Supports
Obama Over GOP

POLL NUMBERS

Feb 12, 2010 8:54 AM CST

Public Supports Obama Over GOP

Americans are wary, but still prefer Dems to GOP

(Newser) - President Obama has small lead over the GOP when it comes to public opinion, a new poll shows. Though Obama's approval rating sits at just 46%, only 35% of respondents have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party. A majority also believe the president is making the greater effort at...

Number of Illegal Immigrants
Falls Nearly 1M

Feb 11, 2010 12:24 PM CST

Number of Illegal Immigrants Falls Nearly 1M

Bad economy and tougher enforcement combine

(Newser) - The number of illegal immigrants in the US plummeted again last year, dropping from 11.6 million to 10.8 million, says the Department of Homeland Security. That’s the second consecutive year it’s fallen, the LA Times reports, and the sharpest drop in at least 30 years. A...

Civil Rights Leaders Talk Jobs With Obama

Feb 11, 2010 9:03 AM CST

Civil Rights Leaders Talk Jobs With Obama

President promises to improve economy for black Americans

(Newser) - President Obama met with some of the country’s top civil rights leaders last night, laying out his plans to improve the economic conditions that have sent black unemployment soaring to 16.5%. Al Sharpton, NAACP head Benjamin Jealous, and National Urban League chief Marc Morial all braved the snow...

Larry Summers Coins a Phrase

Jan 30, 2010 10:58 AM CST

Larry Summers Coins a Phrase

US experiencing a 'statistical recovery and a human recession'

(Newser) - The Wall Street Journal is taken with a phrase uttered by Larry Summers today at the Davos economic summit. The US is experiencing a "statistical recovery and a human recession," said the Obama economic adviser. The phrase "should resonate through much of the industrial world, where high...

Economy Growing at Fastest Pace Since 2003

Jan 29, 2010 8:38 AM CST

Economy Growing at Fastest Pace Since 2003

Last quarter of 2009 saw GDP growth of 5.7%

(Newser) - The US economy grew for a second straight quarter from October through December, posting a better-than-expected 5.7% annual rate—the fastest quarterly pace since 2003. The Commerce Department report is the strongest evidence to date that the worst recession since the 1930s ended last year, though an academic panel...

Unemployment Stays at 10%

Jan 8, 2010 7:42 AM CST

Unemployment Stays at 10%

Employers cut 85,000 jobs in December, more than expected

(Newser) - The economy lost more jobs in December and the unemployment rate was unchanged, signs that a sluggish economic recovery has yet to revive hiring. The Labor Department says employers cut 85,000 jobs last month, worse than the 8,000 drop analysts expected. A sharp drop in the labor force,...

Ignore Glimmers of Hope,
Economy's Still in the Tank

PAUL KRUGMAN

Jan 4, 2010 8:48 AM CST

Ignore Glimmers of Hope, Economy's Still in the Tank

If Obama takes his foot off the gas, it'll be 1937 all over again

(Newser) - Don’t believe the hype, ignore any rising GDP or employment figures, and whatever you do don’t call it a recovery—or we’re going to wind up right back where we started, argues Paul Krugman in the New York Times . There are indeed positive numbers coming, and with...

Stocks Set to
Cap Off
Stellar Year

MARKETS

Dec 28, 2009 9:11 AM CST

Stocks Set to Cap Off Stellar Year

2009 the best year for the market since 2003

(Newser) - Stocks are expected to rise this week, capping off Wall Street’s best year in recent memory. It’s the first time in two years that stocks have posted annual growth, and for the S&P 500, it could be the best year since 2003. Though the economy is far...

How Republicans Won
the Economy Argument

opinion

Dec 23, 2009 1:53 PM CST

How Republicans Won the Economy Argument

For starters, wrongly blame Obama for unemployment

(Newser) - Republicans have won the political argument over the economy with a "nifty" two-step strategy, writes Jonathan Chait. First, blame President Obama for unemployment by focusing on the simple—make that simplistic—fact that more people are out of work now than when he took office. Second, beat him up...

Americans
Send Fewer
Holiday Cards

MAYBE NEXT YEAR...

Dec 19, 2009 7:52 AM CST

Americans Send Fewer Holiday Cards

Penny-pinchers skimp on mailbox cheer

(Newser) - Noticing a certain emptiness in your mailbox? Holiday cards are the latest victims of the weak economy—Americans sent 11% fewer pieces of mail than in 2008 during the first half of December, the US Postal Service reports. Hallmark estimates that 1.8 billion holiday cards will be sent this...

Bottled Water Sales Head Down the Drain

Dec 18, 2009 12:05 PM CST

Bottled Water Sales Head Down the Drain

Environmentalists claim credit; industry blames economy

(Newser) - Bottled water sales are sinking, and environmentalists point triumphantly to their hard-fought campaign against the wasteful industry. Consumption is expected to drop 2% this year, following a 3.2% drop last year, MSNBC reports. But industry executives say it’s just a natural result of the economic downturn, noting that...

Post-Crash Ireland Becomes Luxury Bargain Basement

Dec 4, 2009 11:33 AM CST

Post-Crash Ireland Becomes Luxury Bargain Basement

Fancy cars, wines, homes selling at deep discount

(Newser) - In the midst of its worst recession in modern history, Ireland has become a bargain hunter’s paradise, with high-end cars, homes, and wines selling for a song. “It’s a bit like old vultures over the carcass,” one shopper tells Bloomberg . “You’ll see all sorts...

Ignore Dubai
at Your Own Peril

note to investors

Dec 4, 2009 10:08 AM CST

Ignore Dubai at Your Own Peril

$30B default could still take out other economies

(Newser) - The Dubai disaster should have been a wake up call. But investors, seduced by an "extraordinarily precarious" recovery, basically ignored it and kept busy building yet another bubble, writes Sebastian Mallaby in the Washington Post . Even if Dubai, with its artificial island and indoor ski resort, is an extreme...

New 'Cash for Clunkers'
Targets Appliances

Nov 27, 2009 5:50 AM CST

New 'Cash for Clunkers' Targets Appliances

Feds hope next consumer perk will boost sales

(Newser) - A new federal version of the Cash for Clunkers program will soon target appliances in a bid to convince consumers to replace their leaky dishwashers and grinding refrigerators. The $300 million Cash for Appliances program will offer rebates to buyers who replace worn out appliances with energy efficient models. Just...

Forget the Rosy Stats:
The Little Guy Is in Bad Shape

Nouriel Roubini

Nov 18, 2009 1:34 PM CST

Forget the Rosy Stats: The Little Guy Is in Bad Shape

Economy far worse off than statistics indicate

(Newser) - Don’t believe the rosy official statistics; for most Americans, the economy is in incredibly bad shape, according to the economist some call “Dr. Doom.” We’re looking at a tale of two economies, Nouriel Roubini writes in the Globe and Mail . For top businesses, it’s recovering...

It's About the Jobs, Stupid

paul krugman

Nov 13, 2009 8:20 AM CST

It's About the Jobs, Stupid

The US needs to create work for Americans

(Newser) - The US has to shake up conventional thinking and create jobs for out-of-work Americans, writes Paul Krugman . Our current misguided thinking—as evidenced by unemployment north of 10%—isn't so much a jobs policy as GDP policy. "If you grow it, they will come," goes the philosophy. Get...

Expect Unemployment
to Keep Rising

megan mcardle

Nov 6, 2009 11:33 AM CST

Expect Unemployment to Keep Rising

Companies still aren't sold on a long-term recovery

(Newser) - Anyone hoping that today's worse-than-expected news of 10.2% unemployment means we've hit rock bottom is going to be disappointed, writes Megan McArdle . "This figure is likely to get worse before it gets better." Companies need more proof of a long-term recovery before committing to new hires. In...

Unemployment Jumps to 10.2%

Nov 6, 2009 7:50 AM CST

Unemployment Jumps to 10.2%

Companies cut 190,000 jobs last month

(Newser) - Unemployment cracked the 10% barrier last month, as 190,000 workers lost their jobs, according to Labor Department figures released today. The bigger-than-expected losses bring the rate to 10.2%, a 26-year high. And the underemployment rate, which includes would-be full-timers working part time and those who've given up looking...

Economic Fury
Is the New
Culture War

PETER BEINART

Nov 4, 2009 11:19 AM CST

Economic Fury Is the New Culture War

Deficits were the rallying cry for yesterday's winners

(Newser) - "Conservatives have supposedly gotten their groove back," Peter Beinart writes about the results of yesterday's state races, "but it's not the same old groove." The candidates who won—or almost won—downplayed social issues and focused on the economy, which Beinart calls the “new culture...