OPEC Monthly Oil Report May 2012 – Oil Market Highlights: “After three consecutive monthly gains, the OPEC Reference Basket declined in April to settle at $118.18/b, representing a drop of $4.79 or 3.9%. Prices remain elevated by the risk premium associated with ongoing geopolitical factors. The decline in the value of the Basket came with… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: May 2012
EPIC: Privacy Board Approved by Judiciary Committee, Vote Moves to Senate
“The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has approved President Obama’s five nominees for the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. The Board is an independent entity charged with ensuring that fundamental rights are protected in the implementation of government programs, including cybersecurity. Originally convened in 2004, the five seats on the Board have remained vacant… Continue Reading
BIS – Models and tools for macroprudential analysis
Models and tools for macroprudential analysis. BCBS Working Papers No 21. May 2012: “focuses on the methodological progress and modelling advancements aimed at improving financial stability monitoring and the identification of systemic risk potential.” Continue Reading
Most Children Younger Than Age 1 are Minorities, Census Bureau Reports
News release: “The U.S. Census Bureau today released a set of estimates showing that 50.4 percent of our nation’s population younger than age 1 were minorities as of July 1, 2011. This is up from 49.5 percent from the 2010 Census taken April 1, 2010. A minority is anyone who is not single-race white and… Continue Reading
BIS – The policy implications of transmission channels between the financial system and the real economy
The policy implications of transmission channels between the financial system and the real economy, BCBS Working Papers No 20, May 2012: “…analyses the link between the real economy and the financial sector, and channels through which the financial system may transmit instability to the real economy.” Continue Reading
CSIS – The US Cost of the Afghan War: FY2002-FY2013
The US Cost of the Afghan War: FY2002-FY2013: Cost in Military Operating Expenditures and Aid, and Prospects for Transition. May 14, 2012, by Anthony H. Cordesman, Center for Strategic & International Studies This report “addresses the fiscal cost to the US of the Afghan War from FY2000-FY2013. It provides estimates of total cost, cost to… Continue Reading
The Challenge of Individual Income Tax Reform: An Economic Analysis of Tax Base Broadening
CRS – The Challenge of Individual Income Tax Reform: An Economic Analysis of Tax Base Broadening. Jane G. Gravelle, Senior Specialist in Economic Policy, Thomas L. Hungerford, Specialist in Public Finance. March 22, 2012 “There are over 200 separate tax expenditures, which are projected to total over $1.1 trillion in FY2014. The revenue loss of… Continue Reading
Designating Systemically Important Financial Institutions: Balancing Costs and Benefits
Designating Systemically Important Financial Institutions: Balancing Costs and Benefits, Testimony before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, Douglas J. Elliott, Fellow in Economic Studies, the Brookings Institution “In Dodd-Frank, Congress wisely gave regulators a wider mandate to oversee systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs). These institutions are the ones most capable… Continue Reading
Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies – 13th Annual Retirement
News release: “American workers, shaken by the realities of the Great Recession, have adjusted their visions of retirement according to the 13th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey released today by the non‐profit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies ® (The Center). The Center surveyed more than 3,600 American workers and found that the majority of workers plan… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Foreign Account Reporting Requirements, Federal Housing Finance Agency
Foreign Account Reporting Requirements – IRS Needs to Further Develop Risk, Compliance, and Cost Plans, GAO-12-484, Apr 16, 2012 Management Report – Opportunities for Improvement in the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Internal Controls, GAO-12-499R, May 16, 2012 Continue Reading
Google Introduces Introducing the Knowledge Graph
Google Official Blog: “The Knowledge Graph enables you to search for things, people or places that Google knows aboutlandmarks, celebrities, cities, sports teams, buildings, geographical features, movies, celestial objects, works of art and moreand instantly get information thats relevant to your query. This is a critical first step towards building the next generation of search,… Continue Reading
Treasury – How Refinancing Can Help Families
“Today, millions of Americans who are current on their mortgage payments cannot refinance at historically-low interest rates. The President is proposing legislation that would allow more homeowners to refinance. Under the Presidents plan, they would have two refinancing options. Check out what those options are in this infographic, by Jenni LeCompte Related postings on the… Continue Reading
