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Items from Professor Preponomics:
US News
Where Negative Rates Will Lead Us (Mises) Excerpt: “Despite zero-interest-rate-policy (ZIRP) and multiple quantitative easing programs — whereby the central bank buys large quantities of assets while leaving interest rates at practically zero — the world’s economies are stuck in the doldrums. The central banks’ only accomplishment seems to be an increase in public and private debt.”
CAGW Releases February 2016 Wastewatcher (Citizens Against Government Waste) Obamacare’s Cerberus, Status Quo for Obama’s Last Budget, Solar Wars: Revenge of the Subsidies, Spring Cleaning at the Federal Government, Rethinking the War on Poverty and so much more! Read on.
Federal Footprint Map Shows Government Lands (Government Waste Fraud and Abuse) Excerpt: “The federal government is looking to use the budget process to expand its ownership of land across the United States despite already owning three of every 10 acres, Rep. Louie Gohmert warned Monday.”
America’s Economic Freedom Has Rapidly Declined Under Obama(Heritage Foundation) From 6th to 11th and the slide continues. Frankly there is no excuse for the fact that these United States should be in first place for economic freedom. Excerpt: “America’s declining score in the index is closely related to rapidly rising government spending, subsidies, and bailouts.”
International News
IMF Says It May Further Cut Global Growth Forecast (Market Watch) This is our solution? More debt financed fiscal stimulus? Excerpt: “The world’s largest economies should agree to a coordinated increase in government spending to counter the growing risk of a deeper global economic slowdown, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.”
Taking Europe’s Pulse: European Economic Guide (The Economist) Excerpt: “The outlook for growth in 2016 now looks feebler and more uncertain following the sharp falls in European equity markets, particularly of banking shares, since the start of the year. To the extent that this setback to stock markets undermines consumer and business confidence, it is likely to drag down growth.” Continue reading…
Saudi Arabia Dashes Hopes of Output Cut as Oil Woes Deepen (The Telegraph) Excerpt: “Saudi Arabia has warned that there is almost no chance of a cut in oil production by the OPEC cartel to lift prices and avert a bloodbath for the energy industry, dashing hopes for a quick reprieve as the supply glut continues to build.” An added report linked here includes the 2016 Index of Economic Freedom for Saudi Arabia
Personal Economics and Household Finance
1 in 4 Americans On Verge of Financial Ruin (Market Watch) Learn to be a saver. Excerpt: “…nearly one in four Americans have credit card debt that exceeds their emergency fund or savings. And that’s partially because many people, in addition to their debt, don’t have a dime in their emergency fund at all….”
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