The stock market may steal the headlines, but in many ways its the bond market — be it mortgage-backed securities, government bonds, or corporate debt — that is the real star of the economic show. When the Federal Reserve seeks …
Economics
No, the Fed’s Buying Spree Doesn’t Have to End in Tears
After a jittery few days of trading, the markets stabilized a bit on Monday, though most economists are predicting a summer of volatility thanks to the Fed’s decision last week to announce that it would begin to “taper” its $85 …
Market Reality Check
The market craziness continues, with stocks down, commodities crashing, and bond yields rising. As usual during such periods, wild theories about what’s happening abound: The U.S. recovery is a mirage; China is having a Lehman Brothers-style meltdown; etc.
Bernanke Says Little, Market Plummets: Welcome to the Post-QE Economy
What a strange world we are living in when Ben Bernanke holds a press conference to say that he’s essentially going to do nothing, and the markets go down 200 points. That was the story last night after the Fed announced it …
Why All Eyes Are on Ben Bernanke This Week
The S&P 500 closed lower on Friday, capping off another shaky week for stock markets, which have pulled back of late after a torrid start to the year. Though weak consumer-confidence data likely contributed to Friday’s declines, …
Red Steel City: What China’s Oldest Steel Factory Says About the Nation’s Future
This article is the first in Foroohar’s series on Chinese business developments and their effects on the global economy; find the rest of the series here.
If you want to understand the history of modern China, a good place …
China, the U.S. and a Special Relationship in the Making: 5 Shared Economic Challenges
As President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping settle into conversation in California for the weekend, there’s talk of a new kind of G-2 alliance between the nations, and even a “grand bargain” over issues like trade, …
Uh-Oh: We Already Started Spending Like It’s 2005
The two-faced recovery soldiers on. One day, indicators like the Case-Shiller housing index give us hope that the economic recovery is finally gaining steam, and the next day the ISM Manufacturing Index shows the sector actually …
Japan Market Crash: A Slow Leak in the “Central Bank Bubble”
There’s a truism in investing that the last one into a market is the first one out. And that certainly seems to be the case today, with Japan’s Nikkei index crashing off the back of two things: First, hints from the Federal Reserve that the U.S. economy is improving enough to justify a slow pull-back from the central bank’s …
Bernanke’s Dilemma: No Good Moves Left
It could be risky for the Fed to continue its easy-money policy – and dangerous to stop.
Republicans Seem to Be Out of Economic Ideas — Here Are Two Suggestions
If you think about thrift as a moral quality, it’s easy to understand why Republicans have gotten things so wrong in terms of macroeconomic policy over the past few years
Car? House? Sorry: Graduates of 2013 Are Each $35,200 in Debt
Student debt is creating the most debt-ridden twentysomethings in modern history, and we’re all going to pay a price. Here’s the best advice from new grads.