Research Center
Economy Watch: S&P Lowers the Downgrade Boom
On Friday evening, Standard & Poor’s went where no rating agency has gone before by downgrading long-term U.S. sovereign debt.
PODCAST: Economy Watch Weekly with Dees Stribling
For the week ending August 5, Congress managed to raise the debt ceiling at the last minute, while handing off tough budget decisions to a congressional bipartisan Super Committee; Wall Street goes into a free-falling panic, presumably over euro debt; and the jobs report isn’t as bad as expected.
Economy Watch: Wall Street Tanks, but July a Better Month for Hiring than June
The July jobs reports had some relatively good news on the heels of Wall Street’s worst day in three years; commodities drop along with stocks; and CRE prices remain steady.
Economy Watch: Debt Ceiling Done, Now Back to Worrying about Jobs
Corporate downsizing announcements spiked to a 16-month high in July; a Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows a wide variation in jobless rates among metro areas; and the non-manufacturing sector is growing, but slowly.
Economy Watch: Congress Acts as Deadline Nears, but GDP Still Anemic
Although not yet finalized, a last-minute deal is in the works to raise the debt ceiling; U.S. GDP gets revised way down; and homeownership rates continue to shrink.
PODCAST: Economy Watch Weekly with Dees Stribling
For the week ending July 29, while Congress continued to dither over the debt crisis, equity markets acted nervous and bond markets showed a steady hand; U.S. GDP projections have been revised downward; and the housing market at least isn’t sinking.
Economy Watch: Congress Continues to Spin Its Wheels
Congress doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere on the debt ceiling mess; foreclosures were down in the first half of the year, though perhaps due to blockage in the pipeline; and pending home sales were up in June.
Economy Watch: No Deal Yet
Votes in the House and Senate on their respective debt-ceiling plans are expected today; the Beige Book reports mediocre economic recovery; and the United States takes UBS to court over selling bum mortgages to GSEs.
Economy Watch: Case-Shiller’s Slender Good News: Home Prices Didn’t Go Down in May
The latest S&P/Case-Shiller index shows property values mostly holding steady; consumers are slightly less grumpy than last month; and U.S. investors hold their breath about the debt ceiling.
Economy Watch: More Debt-Ceiling Drama
The House and Senate are drafting two wildly different bills for raising the debt ceiling, and Obama addresses the nation on Congress’ stalemate. And the Chicago Fed’s index shows increased economic activity.