Finance Geek

If there’s one thing the WSJ editorial page loves, it’s arguments that the extension of jobless benefits creates unemployment by discouraging people to find work.
And so it is today that Harvard economist Robert Barro is out with a new piece arguing that

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Provided by the Business Insider:Every U.S. state experienced job losses during the recent downturn, but thanks to the right mix of industries, natural resources, and skilled workers, some states have a far lower unemployment rate than the 9.5% national a

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The stock market rallied strongly on Friday after second quarter GDP numbers were revised down less than expected to a 1.6% annual growth rate.Nigel Gault - chief U.S. economist with IHS Global Insight - doesn’t think it’s anything to celebrat

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From The Business InsiderThe word of the day: reversal.But first, the scoreboard:Dow: +163NASDAQ: +34S&P 500: +17And now, the day’s top stories: * The whole week was one giant game of anticipation for a 90-minute stretch this mor

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The U.S. economy “remains vulnerable to unexpected developments” and growth is “less vigorous than we expected,” Ben Bernanke said Friday at the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole confab. …

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One of the few bulls who has not been silenced by the recent spate of lousy economic news is Brian Wesbury of First Trust Advisors.Wesbury thinks that the economy is fine and that the country’s just suffering from a case of what he calls “economic hy

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Bond prices fell early Friday after the downward revision to second-quarter GDP wasn’t as bad as feared. Still, Treasury yields (which move in the opposite direction of price) aren’t far above the lows hit in March 2009, leading to a lot of talk about a &

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After rallying from below 10,000 Wednesday afternoon, the Dow’s effort to extend the rally on Thursday proved feeble and fleeting. After trading as high as 10,105 early on, the index was down 0.8% at 9978 heading into the final hour of trading. The S&

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President Obama’s deficit reduction commission suffered a big setback yesterday as one of the co-chairs, former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson, was reported to have made some highly insensitive comments about Social Security.In an email to Ashley Carson, ex

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President Obama has many battles to fight on the economic front: high unemployment, slowing growth, trillion dollar deficits, to name a few. Some of these issues he inherited but some he exacerbated says key members of “big business.” This week

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From The Business Insider Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: * Asian markets were mixed in overnight trading, with the Nikkei up a notable 0.69%. European markets are all trading higher this morning and U.S. stocks were marg

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Stocks tumbled again Wednesday morning, sending the Dow below 10,000 for the umpteenth time since it first crossed that hallowed level in 1999. Fear in the market is being expressed by the continued rally in Treasuries and widespread chatter about an omi

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Incumbents and established candidates ruled the night, for the most part, in Tuesday’s primary races.

In one of the most heated races, Arizona Senator John McCain prevailed over former Rep. J.D. Hayworth in the state’s GOP Senate primary. …

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More and more commercial real-estate companies are doing what many indebted homeowners would like to do: Walk away from mortgages on properties that are now worth a lot less than they paid for them.Today’s

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From The Business InsiderGood morning. Here’s what you need to know: * Asian indices are mostly down this morning, with the Shanghai Composite down a notable 2.03%. Europe is also lower in morning trading, and U.S. futures are also d

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