In true Pavlovian form, humans are accustomed to getting excited at the sweet sound of an ATM dispensing cash. But is that sound artificially generated? If so, why?
Study: Unemployment Rate Unlikely to Fall Below 8%
A new study by a group of International Monetary Fund economists and an economist from the San Francisco Federal Reserve suggests that the unemployment rate is not coming down anytime soon, at least not to where it was before the recession.
The study, which is called New Evidence on Cyclical and Structural Sources of Unemployment, has …
Americans Spend More Time Sleeping, Watching TV, Brewing Beer. Is Unemployment the Reason?
The economy has obviously slowed down over the past few years. Despite how frantically busy life may seem, so has the average American, who is watching a little more TV, engaging in more leisure activities and hobbies, and …
Lawmakers Take Aim at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
If you can’t beat ‘em, starve ‘em. It’s become a go-to tactic of the GOP-dominated House of Representatives, and it’s not just for Planned Parenthood anymore. Today, the House Appropriations Committee is expected to advance bank-friendly legislation created and approved by its financial services subcommittee that effectively hamstrings …
Profitable Nonviolence
How the surprising effects of violent movies can help us to make smarter money decisions.
Why Verizon Dropped Its Unlimited Data Plan (And What You Can Do About It)
Dear Greece, Why Not Just Default?
The Greek government survived its no confidence vote in parliament, and the world is breathing a mini sigh of relief. So where does that leave the Greeks, and what are the next best steps?
According to Greek politicians, the name of the game is bailouts, and Greece is desperate for another one. To get that squared away, its parliament …
GM Raises Car Prices Now So It Can Lower Them Later
It’s a screwy time in the auto business. Used car prices recently hit a 16-year high, while average prices paid for new cars also soared in May—at the same time overall new car sales slumped that month. Now that prices seem to …
Bernanke and the Fed: Reading Between the Lines
Today we were treated to the second installment of the Federal Reserve’s new policy of openness with Chairman Ben Bernanke’s press conference. That followed on the heels of the statement by the Fed Open Market Committee about …
“Parents spend thousands and thousands of dollars to send their kids to school to finger-paint.”
Oil Price Spike: Was it Bernanke, the Arab Spring or Something else?
The Federal Reserve’s $600 billion bond buying program ends at the end of this month. The program, which was the second round of quantitative easing for the central bank and has become known as QE2, has been controversial. So you are likely to read a lot of commentary over the next week or two about what it did and what it didn’t do, and …
Federal Agency Sues Banks For Credit Union Failures
One of the most frustrating things about the 2008 financial crisis was the sense that the people who got us into this mess weren’t going to face any kind of repercussions. For ordinary Americans watching their nest eggs tank while reading about bailouts and golden parachutes, there was a widespread feeling that somebody needed to be held …
