May | 2012 | AEIdeas

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Jack Welch vs. Joe Biden on private equity

James Pethokoukis | May 31, 2012, 9:51 am

Jack Welch attempts to illuminate Vice President Biden on how private equity works: Let’s start with what private equity firms do, which is actually very simple. They buy troubled companies with the intention of fixing them up. In time, they … read more >

Economics, U.S. Economy

Another dose of sickly economic news weakens Obama’s reelection odds

James Pethokoukis | May 31, 2012, 9:31 am

Today we had a warm-up for tomorrow’s big jobs report. And the economic news hasn’t been so good: – 1Q GDP was revised down to 1.9% from 2.2%. The previous four GDP quarters of Obama recovery: 0.4%, 1.3%, 1.8%, 3.0%. Keep … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy

UN declares corrupt despot Mugabe a ‘leader for tourism’

Roger Bate | May 31, 2012, 9:12 am

Every time I hope that the United Nations can become a more dignified organization, it does something to remind me of why that will probably never happen. Yesterday, the UN made Robert Mugabe a tourism leader. Mugabe, the despotic leader of … read more >

Carpe Diem

Gas Drops Below $3 per Gallon in South Carolina

Mark J. Perry | May 31, 2012, 1:48 am

Damn those greedy oil speculators, they’ve driven gas prices down to $3 per gallon in South Carolina. Update: Gas is now below $3 per gallon in South Carolina, currently as low as $2.98 on Saturday morning.

Carpe Diem

Oil Prosperity Update for Eagle Ford Texas

Mark J. Perry | May 31, 2012, 1:22 am

1. Fuel Fix — “Robust drilling activity in the Eagle Ford Shale is rescuing the state’s lodging sector. San Antonio-based Source Strategies says in its newest Hotel Brand Report that hotels in the counties with the most oil-and-gas production were … read more >

Carpe Diem

Markets in Everything: Belgian Soccer Fans for Sale on eBay to Root for Your Country in Euro 2012

Mark J. Perry | May 31, 2012, 12:58 am

Listed on Ebay (current bid approx. $445 with 7 days left): “Once again we Belgians have no team to root for at the Euro 2012 soccer championship. Since tournaments are much more fun when you have a favorite team, we … read more >

Carpe Diem

ASA Staffing Index for Temporary and Contract Employment is Highest for Week 21 Since 2008

Mark J. Perry | May 30, 2012, 8:44 pm

The American Staffing Association’s (ASA) Staffing Index for temporary employment activity rose to 94 last week, which was the highest index reading for Week 21 since 2008 when the index was also 94. It’s just several points below the 96 … read more >

Economics

Goldman Sachs: U.S. headed for a decade of anemic, European-level growth

James Pethokoukis | May 30, 2012, 4:58 pm

This table from Goldman Sachs pretty well sums up America’s current and future problems. From 1981-2000, the U.S. economy grew at a snappy pace of about 3.4%. Then it downshifted to 1.6%—including the Great Recession—from 2001-2010. And from 2011-2020, GS … read more >

Economics, U.S. Economy

The EU, the euro, and unintended consequences

James Pethokoukis | May 30, 2012, 4:12 pm

Martin Feldstein ably describes how it all went so wrong: The crisis in the eurozone is the result of France’s persistent pursuit of the “European project,” the goal of political unification that began after World War II when two leading … read more >

Economics, U.S. Economy

EuroCrisis 2012: How we get from here to a global depression

James Pethokoukis | May 30, 2012, 3:56 pm

If you’re wondering about the sequence of events leading to a catastrophic euro endgame, Forbes columnist Harry Dent does a good job outlining them: The big problem from our view is Spain, partially because it is too big to fail … read more >