Economic news - CNNMoney.com


    Obama's plan: Too little, too late
    This week, the Obama administration began outlining additional measures to jumpstart the economy and create jobs.

    Orszag: Extend Bush tax cuts for 2 years
    Peter Orszag, who recently stepped down as President Obama's budget director, called for a two-year extension of the Bush tax cuts in an article he wrote in the New York Times on Tuesday.

    Obama to introduce another business tax cut
    In another move aimed at stabilizing the still-shaky economy, President Barack Obama on Wednesday will introduce a new $200 billion tax cut giving businesses across the country an incentive to buy new equipment in the short term, according to a senior administration official.

    4 surprise bright spots in the economy
    Good economic news has been hard to come by lately, but not all is doom and gloom in America these days. The end of summer ushered in a few signs of progress in some of the unlikeliest corners of the economy. They are no guarantee that the good times are around the corner, but they do provide a helpful reminder that this slow recovery is exactly that: a recovery.

    81% rate U.S. economy as 'poor' - CNN poll
    A new national poll released Sunday indicates that eight in 10 Americans say that the economy is in poor shape, and the number that say conditions are very poor is on the upswing after steady declines through the spring.

    Obama's economy boost - just don't call it stimulus
    President Obama is pledging to propose a new package of job-boosting ideas next week -- just don't call it stimulus.

    Where the jobs are now, and where they'll be next
    U.S. companies modestly added jobs in August, easing concerns that the nation might slip back into a recession. The latest jobs report released by the Labor Department today is better than expected. Employment in the private sector rose by 67,000 payrolls, after a revised 107,000 increase in July that was more than originally estimated. The report immediately sent stocks rallying, despite the fact that overall employment dropped and the unemployment rate climbed to 9.6% from 9.5%, as more people actively searched for jobs.

    Should US government debt be rated junk?
    A few weeks ago, Hedgeye, the investment research firm where I'm a managing director, hosted a conference call for our subscribers that posed the question, "Should U.S. Government Debt Be Rated Junk Status?" Given that debt issued by the U.S. government continues to trade at almost all-time lows in yield, this is a contrarian call to say the least.

    How trader Dick morphed into banker CEO Dick Fuld
    The rumors persisted of Lehman Brothers' being taken over again, and it was against such a background that Dick devised his pièce de résistance.

    Family insurance costs skyrocket 14%
    American workers are taking yet another blow to their wallets this year -- a whopping 14% jump in costs to insure their families.

    Harrisburg, Penn., defaulting on its bonds
    The capital city Pennsylvania is broke and will be skipping this month's multi-million dollar bond payment.

    Back to school sales get an A
    Retailers reported surprisingly strong August same-store sales as many consumers braved scorching summer temperatures to bag juicy discounts on school-related products.

    Strongest jobs recovery in decades. Seriously
    A jobless recovery? Hardly.

    Manufacturing (ISM)
    Oct. 1

    Job Growth
    Oct. 1

    Home Prices
    Sept. 28

    Consumer Confidence
    Sept. 28

    GDP
    Sept. 30

    Inflation (CPI)
    Sept. 17

    Retail Sales
    Sept. 14