11.02.09

GDP rose at an annualized rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter, somewhat higher than consensus expectations and pulling the four-quarter GDP growth rate up from -3.8 percent to -2.3 percent. The third quarter's increase was driven in large part by a 3.4 percent jump in personal consumption expenditures, the largest quarterly gain in this component...]]>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Do+shipping+volumes+signal+an+end+of+the+recession%3f-a0214204391
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10.30.09

The advance estimate of 3.5 percent for GDP growth in the third quarter of 2009 is welcome news, and it suggests that the longest recession since the Great Depression and the deepest since the 1950s is likely to have ended at some point around the middle of the year. This isn't to say that the widespread pain...]]>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Alternative+measures+of+the+unemployment+rate.-a0214204390
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10.07.09

The official unemployment rate, reported each month in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' "Employment Situation," is one of the most widely reported and closely watched labor statistics. The reason this indicator gets so much attention has much to do with its timeliness and the objective way in which it is defined. The rate for a given month is...]]>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Inflation+and+inflation+expectations.-a0214204389
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11 .05.09

Inflation expectations play a crucial role in monetary policy making. Not only do they tell policymakers something about the real expected cost of borrowing and hence the viability of investment plans, they also help policymakers gauge the public's perception of the central bank's commitment to maintaining a low and...]]>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+high-yield+corporate+bond+spread+and+economic+activity.-a0214204388
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11.04.09

The financial crisis has brought into focus the importance of financial markets to a properly functioning economy. These markets help the economy allocate resources and shape the investment and saving decisions of the society.

While financial markets are essential to economic growth, they may also play a...]]>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+yield+curve%2c+October+2009.-a0214204387
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10.23.09

Since last month, the yield curve has shifted a bit downward and steepened slightly, with short rates dropping a bit faster than long rates. The difference between these rates, the slope of the yield curve, has achieved some notoriety as a simple forecaster of economic growth. The rule of thumb is that an...]]>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/September+price+statistics.-a0214204386
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10.20.09

The CPI rose at an annualized rate of 2.0 percent in September, following an energy-price-induced 5.5 percent jump in August, and is now up 2.5 percent over the past three months. The BLS release states that the overall increase was "broad based" among components and tempered by a 1.2 percent decrease in food prices (their sixth...]]>