07 | August | 2012

Monday, May 20, 2013

CoreLogic home price indexes increase in June for the 4th month, with highest annual gains in 6 years

Mark J. Perry | August 7, 2012, 5:26 pm

CoreLogic released its monthly report today on June home prices based on its Home Price Index (HPI), along with its new Pending HPI for July, with these highlights: 1. Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased on a year-over-year basis … read more >

Carpe Diem

Job openings in June are highest in four years

Mark J. Perry | August 7, 2012, 5:18 pm

Highlights from today’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover report from the BLS: 1. There were 3.76 million total job openings and 3.4 million private job openings on the last day of June, up from 3.65 million openings and 3.28 million, … read more >

Pethokoukis

Why is U.S. unemployment still so high?

James Pethokoukis | August 7, 2012, 4:40 pm

A new economic paper takes a shot answering why the U.S. has suffered 42 straight months of 8% or higher unemployment: How much did mismatch contribute to the dynamics of U.S. unemployment around the Great Recession? To address this question, … read more >

Pethokoukis

Is there really a ‘massive policy gap between Obama and Romney?’

James Pethokoukis | August 7, 2012, 3:17 pm

Ezra Klein: The central difficulty of covering this presidential campaign — which is to say, of explaining Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s disparate plans for the country — is the continued existence of what we might call the policy gap. … read more >

Pethokoukis

Romneyomics would make big bet on tax reform to boost growth

James Pethokoukis | August 7, 2012, 2:08 pm

The Romney campaign has released a white paper explaining its economic plan. Given the nation’s high unemployment rate – it’s been 8% or higher for 42 consecutive months – and low GDP growth rate – we seem to be stuck … read more >

Economics, Energy and the Environment

Green jobs in Nevada – only about $5 million a pop

Kenneth P. Green | August 7, 2012, 1:14 pm

The green jobs agenda: Pouring mad money into precious few jobs, and handing the bill to rate payers. read more >

Pethokoukis

Is it time for the Fed to launch a pro-growth monetary policy?

James Pethokoukis | August 7, 2012, 11:21 am

It is sure is, says one Fed bank president: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric Rosengren said the central bank should pursue an “open-ended” quantitative easing program of “substantial magnitude” to boost growth and hiring amid a global slowdown. … read more >

Carpe Diem

Natural gas production sets new records in May as Marcellus Shale becomes country’s most productive gas field

Mark J. Perry | August 7, 2012, 9:45 am

Recently updated EIA data on monthly natural gas production in the U.S. through May is displayed above, and shows that both “gross withdrawals” and “marketed production” of natural gas set new monthly all-time records on a 12-month moving average basis … read more >

Image Credit: DonkeyHotey (Flickr) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Politics and Public Opinion, Elections

91 days: U.S. 2012 elections live

Henrik Temp | August 7, 2012, 9:15 am

Up to the minute news and analysis on Election 2012. Updated throughout the day. read more >

Lean In… to Government?
Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-selling book Lean In has managed to offend both the Left and the Right. Sandberg touts female hard-headedness, yet also calls for an elaborate government- and employer-supplied support system for women. […]
Are American Voters Racist?
Racial prejudice plays a very small role in American politics, but a highly disciplined sense of self-interest on the part of one group may play a very large role in the way the federal government functions. […]
The Perpetual Passion for Paper
Paper is becoming less important in some respects, but its strengths — prestige, utility, permanence, and security — are more essential than ever. […]
Could California Make a Comeback?
An unexpected glimmer of hope might cast a new light on the Golden State. […]