06.17.08
How Floods Will Hurt the Economy
For all you veterans of AP Economics, this weeks floods in the mid-west made you think back to those easy days in high school when all you had to worry about was how natural disasters would affect aggregate supply. Now you may be concerned with how they’ll affect the amount of money in your pocket. Check out the latest on the floods in the mid-west from CNN.
04.03.08
Zimbabwe Update
03.31.08
Play Ball!
Well, another baseball season is upon us. While the Orioles didn’t do so well today, perhaps you Baltimore fans will be consoled by the World Champion Boston Red Sox U.S. opening day Tuesday evening in Oakland. Look at it this way; at least the Yankees didn’t win!
Many people no longer see baseball as a significant sport, having been supplanted by football as our nation’s first choice. However, this article provides an example as to why baseball is an important sport and remains our national past-time.
03.25.08
Consumer Confidenvce at 5 Year Low
Here’s an article from CNN that reports Consumer Confidence is at a five year low. If you recall, we discussed consumer confidence earlier in the year when we studied Economic Indicators. How is it that consumer confidence drives economic behavior?
03.17.08
330 MPG – Now That’s More Like It!
Check out this new hybrid car that touts a 330 mpg standard. As the site suggests, “that’s 195 mpg more than President Bush’s recent energy bill.”
I think they still have a little way to go with regards to comfort and luxury…but I always wanted one of those Jetson flying cars:
03.09.08
End to the Good Times (Such as They Were)
Here’s an interesting graphic from the New York Times showing a downturn in some key economic indicators. Not a pretty picture. What do you think has happened to the AD/AS curve over the past 6 months?
How government makes things worse
Here’s a good article from today’s Boston Globe regarding the current state of the economy and how government solutions to problems often have unintended consequences.
01.30.08
Fed Cuts Rate by Half-Point; 2nd Reduction in 8 Days
The Federal Reserve acted again today to stem recessionary pressure on the U.S. economy. As we’ve been discussing in class, The Fed can use monetary policy quickly to affect change in the economy. However, what about Fiscal Policy? Today, President Bush urged The Senate to approve the fiscal stimulus package that congress has approved. How long will it take for fiscal policy to affect change in the economy?
01.23.08
All Economics is Local
Here’s an interesting article about the local economy in Martha’s Vineyard from today’s New York Times. For those of you who read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle it should look familiar. Thanks to Bridgett Carr for the tip.
01.18.08
Ben Bernanke
Here is an interesting profile of Ben Bernanke, The U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman. This article will appear in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine. It’s a bit long, but contains some interesting background about our Fed Chairman and monetary policy in general.
