Tag Archives: economy

97% Of Liberal Dems Approve Of Obama

From the latest CNN survey: For the first time since May of 2013, more Americans polled say they have a positive impression of how Obama is handling the presidency than a negative one: 48% approve of the way Obama is handling his job, while 47% disapprove. As among young people, other shifts in Obama’s favor have come largely from the …

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Bill Maher On Obama’s Legacy

“You sometimes hear people, even Democrats, say, ‘I’m tired of Obama because he didn’t live up to his promises.’ I say, ‘Are you sure about that? Maybe they just didn’t cover it on TMZ.’ Because Obama is slowly going down the list: Cuba, gay marriage and, I’m hoping before he leaves, pot. He’s trying to finish strong. Obama should be …

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Dollar Soars Against Foreign Currency

Via the Los Angeles Times: Americans have long complained that the dollar doesn’t buy much anymore. Suddenly, the dollar’s problem may be that it buys too much — a change that has huge implications across the global economy for consumers, businesses, investors and governments. The U.S. currency’s value has surged over the last nine months, reaching levels against some world …

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Unemployment Hits Seven Year Low

Via the New York Times: The economy gained fresh momentum last month as the Labor Department reported on Friday that employers added 295,000 workers in February, far exceeding expectations, and the unemployment rate took another dip. But wage gains continued to lag, rising only 2 percent from a year earlier. The unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent, its lowest since …

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RUSSIA: Top Official Pledges That Country Will “Eat Less” For Vladimir Putin

Via the Associated Press: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, on Friday warned the West against trying to topple President Vladimir Putin and said that Russians are ready to sacrifice their wealth in Putin’s support. Russia has for the past year been sliding into recession amid a slump in its energy export …

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RUSSIA: Vladimir Putin Vows To Repair Ruble, Blames Crash On The West

Via Reuters: President Vladimir Putin assured Russians on Thursday that the economy would rebound after the ruble’s dramatic slide this year but offered no remedy for a deepening financial crisis. In an assured performance at a three-hour news conference, Putin blamed the economic problems on external factors and said the crisis over Ukraine was caused by the West, which he …

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MAP: What EU Nations Are Worst At

The categories for France, Denmark. and Romania are really dumb compared to the seriousness of the others. Visit Thrillist for a breakdown. A huge version of the map is here. (Via JMG reader Aaron)

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Unemployent Rate Hits Six-Year Low

The Labor Department today reported that 248,000 jobs were created last month, pushing the unemployment down to a six-year low of 5.9%. Via Politico: The number of new jobs easily surpassed expectations — analysts had predicted 215,000 jobs created last month, according to a Bloomberg survey. Friday’s robust jobs report comes at an opportune time for the White House as …

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NEW YORK CITY: The Rich Get Much Richer, The Poor Get Much Much Poorer

From the New York Daily News: The number of city residents receiving aid under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, soared from 1.3 million in 2008 to 1.8 million today. Yet, with so many people in need, the biggest benefit reduction in the 50-year history of food stamps took effect Nov. 1. That’s when a …

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Comparing Foreign GDPs To US States

Via Reddit. I always find these things fascinating.

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Unemployment Hits Five-Year Low

Via the New York Times: The jobs picture brightened in November as hiring in the United States was stronger than expected and the unemployment rate fell to a five-year low, data that increases the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will begin easing its stimulus efforts sooner, rather than later. In November, the jobless rate dropped to 7 percent. Economists surveyed …

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Unemployment Rate Falls To Lowest Since December 2008

“The books are cooked! Fake!” said all of Teabagistan.

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16% More American Millionaires

The number of American millionaires rose by 16% in the last year. Via New York Daily News: Blazing stock market gains pushed more bank accounts past the $1 million mark last year. The number of millionaires around the globe reached 13.8 million by the end of 2012, up from 12.6 million in the prior year, according to a report by …

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NYC’s Luxury Condo Boom Accelerates

Pads for jillionaires are going up everywhere. Ultraluxury housing and construction is booming across Manhattan, which is now beginning to rival London in popularity with the world’s wealthy. The number of condominium buildings in the borough with apartments selling for more than $15 million has risen to 49, up from 33 in 2009, according to CityRealty. And an additional 20 …

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Baggage Fees Boost Airline Profits

Billions of dollars in recently imposed baggage fees and charges for reservation changes are the only thing keeping airlines in the black. The nation’s 15 largest carriers collected a combined $3.5 billion in bag fees in 2012, up 3.8% from 2011, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Fees for changing a reservation totaled $2.6 billion, up 7.3%. The airlines …

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MAP: Average San Francisco Rents

Via Cleve Jones.

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SPAIN: Flamenco Flash Mob

The BBC reports: Flamenco flash mobs – seemingly spontaneous dance and song performances – have been taking place in banks not just in Seville, but all over Andalusia, causing short, if amusing disruptions to the working day. Some involve just one or two dancers, performing silently in front of bemused customers and clerks. Others can be made up of several …

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Record High For S&P 500

More evidence of the Obama economy: Stocks edged higher on Thursday as the S&P 500 rose just above its record closing high, a level that has acted as a significant resistance point in recent weeks. The S&P 500 had been stuck in a fairly tight range, having traded within 10 points of the October 2007 record closing high of 1,565.15 …

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Unemployment Drops To 7.7%

The February jobs report has been released. U.S. employers added 236,000 jobs to non-farm payrolls in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday, up from 119,000 in January. That was the best payroll growth since 247,000 jobs last November and the second-best month for job growth of the past 12 months. The unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent …

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USPS To Suspend Saturday Mail

Starting in August, you won’t be getting mail on Saturdays. The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service plans to stop delivering mail on Saturdays starting Aug. 1, the agency is set to announce Wednesday. This means that for the first time Americans will receive mail only five days a week, a significant shift for the storied mail agency, which has suffered …

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