The debate over the repeal of California’s global-warming regulation, AB32, has degenerated into a shouting match, each side claiming economic ruin if the other side wins. A couple of long-dead French economists can help us […]
Read moreTonight I’ll be speaking to a group working on saving the Ventura River. The river once had a very large steelhead run, and I’m told a salmon run. Today, it is home to the homeless. […]
Read moreRecent data from the American Association of Railroads on United States and Canadian Railroad Traffic shows gains in April measured on a year-on-year basis. United States April rail carloads were up 15.8 percent from April […]
Read morePeople who follow me know that I think little of Paul Krugman as a person. He was a brilliant economist, one who changed the way economists thinks about international economics, and his Nobel Prize was […]
Read moreThe question has merit, but I came to it by a roundabout process. I was thinking about how our savings rate is low and falling. After all, we have lots of reasons to save: We’ve […]
Read moreEurope has created a $1 trillion bailout fund. The United States Federal Reserve Bank has apparently agreed to unlimited currency swaps to support the bailout effort. By comparison, Freddie Mac’s request for another $8.4 billion […]
Read moreApril non-farm jobs rose by 290 thousand, greater than the consensus estimate of 200 thousand. This was an improvement over 230 thousand in March and 39 thousand in February, which were revised up from original […]
Read moreRecent data releases show that inflation remains well contained. In fact, by one key measure, inflation is at a historical low, causing increasing concern about deflation. From the March Consumer Price Index press release we […]
Read moreUnited States Gross Domestic Product expanded at a 3.2 percent pace in quarter one of 2010, according to the preliminary estimate released today. This was very close to our forecast of 3.1 percent. This expansion […]
Read moreThe current VC Reporter has a great article on two competing downtown Ventura projects. The proposals are for Ventura’s iconic intersection at California and Main, and each would be a huge innovation for the City. […]
Read moreWhen thinking about regulation, it is helpful to have some regulatory principles. Here are my proposals: Keep it simple. Simple regulation is cost-effective regulation. Simple regulation minimizes both regulatory costs to the government and compliance […]
Read moreAlmost everybody pontificating about financial regulation seems to be recommending increased capital ratios, increasing the ratio of firm’s capital to assets. It is also true that financial regulation around the world includes minimum capital ratios. […]
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