All Economy
Jobless claims drop lower and lowerInitial jobless claims聽 declined to 348,000 claims from last week鈥檚 revised 353,000 claims, while continued claims declined by 9,000 resulting in an 'insured' unemployment rate of 2.6 percent
Monitor BreakfastCEOs willing to give up tax breaks - if the rate is rightA group of CEOs is launching a two-week lobbying and media blitz on corporate taxes, keyed to the fact that on April 1, Japan will officially lower its corporate tax rate.
Obama fast-tracks part of Keystone XL pipelineAfter rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline proposal in January, President Obama gives a green light to its southern leg 鈥� a bid to ease a key bottleneck to new oil supplies and defuse critics on gas prices.
Existing home sales down in FebruarySingle family home sales declined 1.0 percent from January but rose 9.4 percent above the level seen in February 2011.
National grocery chains to stop selling beef containing 'pink slime'Federal regulators say the filler, known in the industry as 'lean, finely textured beef,' meets food safety standards. But critics say the product could be unsafe and is an unappetizing example of industrialized food production.
Britain's 'millionaire' budget eases taxes on the richBritain released its annual budget yesterday, which includes a tax cut for the country's biggest earners 鈥� but also eliminates taxes for Britain's lowest earners.聽
Fiscal policy and the importance of word choiceIn economic policy debates, lawmakers have to be very careful about the language they choose.
Iranian oil sanctions: US exempts 11 nationsThe American government will exempt 10 European countries plus Japan from financial sanctions due to their efforts to reduce their dependence on Iranian oil.
Will Obama's budget raise or lower taxes? Both.Republicans call Obama an unrepentant tax raiser. The president calls himself a responsible tax cutter who only raises taxes on the rich. Both sides have a point.
Jobless claims fall to four-year low as economy reboundsUnemployment assistance applications dropped to a seasonally adjusted 348,000, the lowest level since February 2008. The drop聽coincides with the best three months of hiring in two years
Ryan's budget helps no one but the richThe real contrast in Paul Ryan's budget is over what the plan does for the rich and what it does to everyone else. It reduces the top individual and corporate tax rates to 25 percent. This would give the wealthiest Americans an average tax cut of at least $150,000 a year. The money would come out of programs for the elderly, lower-middle families, and the poor.
Oil prices fall below $107 a barrelOil prices dip on concerns about China's growth. But oil prices are up from $75 a barrel in October.
Mortgage rates climb. Really?The average rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage jumped 12 basis points to 4.06 percent since last week, while the purchase application volume declined 1.0 percent and the refinance application dropped 9.3 percent over the same period.
Existing home sales: Foreigners are buying. What's their impact?Although existing home sales dipped last month, foreign buyers are snapping up US homes. In some markets, they may be putting an end to the downturn in existing home sales.
U.S. stocks mixed on a quiet dayU.S. stocks were mostly unchanged Wednesday, a calm day in the middle of a bumpy week. U.S stock on the Dow fell 45 points to close at 13124.
Will health care reform be successful? Capital Hill barbershops show noPresident Obama has promised that more government will make health care cheaper and more available.聽A comparison of two Capitol Hill barbershops sheds some light on whether the president has it right.
US corporate tax rates must come downCome April 1, America's corporate tax rates will be the highest in the developed world. That's bad policy for the United States.
Allowance tricks to teach your kidsAllowance can be a good tool to teach your kids about money management. Consider requiring them to divide their allowance into spending, saving, investing, and giving categories.聽
Ryan's mystery meat budgetHouse Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released a fiscal plan that promises trillions of dollars in tax cuts and a nearly balanced budget within a decade, but never says how he'd get there.聽
Why Democrats are cheering the Paul Ryan Republican budget planAs they did last year, Democrats are attacking the Republican budget plan released by Rep. Paul Ryan as an 'end of Medicare as we know it.' They think it will help them in November.
