US economy

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The Rich Get Richer, Work Harder
 The Rich 
 Get Richer, 
 Work Harder 
OPINION
Sep 2, 2008 8:06 AM CDT

The Rich Get Richer, Work Harder

Wealth disparities are what's keeping big earners sweating

(Newser) - America’s higher earners are working harder all the time —but it’s not because of PDAs and laptops. It’s because of a fear of being “left behind” as wealth gaps widen among the upper classes, writes Dalton Conley in the New York Times. “Rising inequality...

Ranks of Uninsured Drop by 1M
 Ranks of
 Uninsured
 Drop by 1M
Aug 26, 2008 1:11 PM CDT

Ranks of Uninsured Drop by 1M

Poverty rate unchanged, median incomes rise

(Newser) - There were a million fewer uninsured Americans last year, the first annual decrease under the Bush administration, according to Census Bureau data released today. Median household incomes also rose slightly for the third consecutive year, while the nation’s poverty rate held steady at just over 12%, AP reports. The...

'Obamanomics': A Tough Sell in America?

Obama's economics lean left and right, until he talks taxes

(Newser) - Barack Obama will face a crippled economy if he wins in November, but what fiscal policies will he put to use? “My core economic theory is pragmatism,” says Obama, a liberal who picked up free market notions when teaching at the University of Chicago. His policies on health...

Time to Change the Slogan, Obama
 Time to Change 
 the Slogan, Obama
OPINION
Aug 24, 2008 9:44 AM CDT

Time to Change the Slogan, Obama

Obama must tell story of our economic future

(Newser) - It’s time for Barack Obama to drop the “Change We Can Believe In” slogan in favor of something closer to “Change Before It’s Too Late,” writes Frank Rich in the New York Times. The former phrase fit the Democratic primary throwdown, but now Obama must...

China Set to Surpass US as Largest Manufacturer

Second place awaits after 100 years on top

(Newser) - China will surpass the US as the world’s No. 1 manufacturer by next year, the Financial Times reports. China, which last year accounted for 13.2% of manufacturing, will soon account for 17%, just ahead of the US, which has been the planet's dominant manufacturer for more than a...

Tough Times Turn Mean Bosses Even Meaner

Workers fear losing jobs, take abuse

(Newser) - If your boss was a jerk before the economy went south, chances are things have gotten worse. “Employers are definitely getting meaner,” the editor of one career blog tells MSNBC. Knowing that employees may be fearful about leaving in an uncertain job market, the worst managers are pressuring...

Agricultural Economist Has Growing Concerns

The insanity of farm subsidies just one facet of wide-ranging Q&A with Daniel Sumner

(Newser) - Is there any way to justify US farm subsidies? Agricultural economist Daniel Sumner has a blunt answer: “No.” In an in-depth interview with the New York Times, Sumner takes on a broad range of agricultural topics, explaining the trouble with organic food (it’s too expensive), the problems...

A Believer in Hands-Off Now a Defender of Hands-On

Treasury chief Henry Paulson has turned to intervention to calm markets

(Newser) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is in the midst of a reluctant about-face of his economic principles. The Los Angeles Times looks at how Paulson—a former chief executive at Goldman Sachs with a long history of faith in laissez-faire capitalism—has had to become the point man for the Bush...

GM Will Cut Salaried Jobs, Benefits to Survive Slump

Company aims to cut costs to boost liquidity, cope with lower sales

(Newser) - General Motors will cut salaried jobs, accelerate factory closings, and eliminate health care coverage for many salaried retirees in order to raise $15 billion to survive the industry's deep downturn, the Wall Street Journal reports. GM will also suspend dividends, sell some assets, lower capital spending, and cut production of...

New US Tax Law Looks Heartless to Foreign Workers

Would-be tax evaders will pay, but so will wealthy green-card holders

(Newser) - A new tax law set up to help troops and veterans, offset by taxing wealthy Americans who give up citizenship to beat the IRS, hits some others in the wallet, Portfolio reports. Long-term, legal foreign workers who return home will see unrealized capital gains taxed—potentially damaging the perception of...

China's Economy Will Dwarf US
 China's Economy Will Dwarf US 
Jul 9, 2008 7:33 AM CDT

China's Economy Will Dwarf US

Twice the size of the US economy by 2050: report

(Newser) - China is the world's economic superpower of the future and will dwarf the financial might of the US, according to a new study by an American research organization. China's economy will surpass the US economy by 2035—and be more than double its size by 2050, predicts the report by...

Americans Have Less in Their Shopping Carts

Downsizing on the rise, whether consumers notice it or not

(Newser) - Food prices are rising, but thanks to some chicanery on product labels, many Americans may not realize it. Instead of raising prices, manufacturers are slimming cereal boxes, juice cartons, and bars of soap, and they’re doing it very quietly. If asked, they’ll say it offsets rising fuel and...

Chinese, Enjoying New Clout, Chide US on Fiscal Policy

Officials blast US over subprime crisis, falling dollar, foreign investment

(Newser) - As the US economy struggles and its own booms, China is reveling in its newfound self-confidence, blasting American fiscal policy, the New York Times reports, and flaunting its own regulatory successes. Chinese officials have recently taken the US to task over the subprime mortgage crisis, the weakening dollar, and “...

McCain, Obama Outline Dueling Economic Plans

Candidates differ sharply on how to get economy rolling again

(Newser) - John McCain and Barack Obama drew clear battle lines yesterday over a central election issue—the sputtering economy. McCain promised to boost the economy with tax cuts and reduced regulation, while Obama set out a strategy to help the hard-hit poor and raise taxes on the rich, reports the Washington ...

US Economy Isn't Bouncing Back
 US Economy Isn't
 Bouncing Back 
analysis
Jun 8, 2008 5:11 PM CDT

US Economy Isn't Bouncing Back

Fed cuts, stimulus package won't do the trick

(Newser) - Forget those predictions of a US economic revival in 2008, Daniel Gross writes in Newsweek. The four horsemen of the economy—credit and housing crises, food and energy prices—are getting meaner, while booming commodities and crunching credit are curbing attempts to fight back. "As a result, the consumer-driven...

New Wave of Foreclosures Expected in '09

ARM holders will see payments soar as their mortgages reset

(Newser) - America’s subprime victims may have grudgingly accepted their fate, but there’s a new class of borrowers primed to suffer, BusinessWeek reports. Homeowners who took out ARMs, or adjustable rate mortgages, will soon face skyrocketing payments as their loans reset. About a million people have the mortgages, but only...

High Gas Prices Give Economy a Headache
High Gas Prices Give Economy a Headache
ANALYSIS
May 24, 2008 3:52 PM CDT

High Gas Prices Give Economy a Headache

Main Street and Wall Street finally admit financial pain

(Newser) - Oil prices gushed for 5 years, but the US economy remained blissfully unaffected—until now, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rising gas prices have finally spooked consumers and sparked ominous news from two major airlines, Ford, and even memory card maker SanDisk. “The economic outlook has been taken hostage...

Health Costs Hurt Insured Americans, Too

More cut back on doctor visits to save much-needed bucks

(Newser) - Even Americans with health insurance are ducking the doctor these days as health costs rise and the economy stays queasy, the New York Times reports. Family premiums have doubled in recent years, and out-of-pocket costs have gone up, too: “It just keeps eating into people’s income,” said...

Restaurants, Retailers Gulp as Consumers Tighten Belts

Penny pinchers shifting to generics, eating in

(Newser) - The rising price of staples like milk and gas, coupled with layoffs and flat-lining wages, is creating a nation of penny-pinching consumers, the New York Times reports. Industry is taking notice as buyers substitute generic brands for top-of-the-line products and skip eating out at restaurants.

Bush Sees Rebate Checks Offsetting 'Slowdown'

Stimulus package hits home(s) next week

(Newser) - Again steering clear of the R-word, President Bush said today that the tax rebates scheduled to be distributed starting next week will "give our economy a boost to help us pull out of this economic slowdown," Bloomberg reports.

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