“The Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Open Market Committee on Wednesday released the attached minutes of the Committee meeting held on January 28-29, 2014. The minutes for each regularly scheduled meeting of the Committee ordinarily are made available three weeks after the day of the policy decision and subsequently are published in the Board’s Annual… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: February 2014
Emerging Nations Embrace Internet, Mobile Technology
Pew Report – Cell Phones Nearly Ubiquitous in Many Countries – “In a remarkably short period of time, internet and mobile technology have become a part of everyday life for some in the emerging and developing world. Cell phones, in particular, are almost omnipresent in many nations. The internet has also made tremendous inroads, although most… Continue Reading
EFF – A Massive Expansion of Plate Data Collection
National License Plate Recognition Database: What It Is and Why It’s a Bad Idea: “…Automated License Plate Reader or ALPR cameras already scan and record the plates of millions of cars across the country. Law enforcement agencies in large metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and New York have databases of millions of plates—and these databases will only increase in size… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – IRS’s Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, Medicaid, Oil and Gas
IRS’S OFFSHORE VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE PROGRAM: 2009 Participation by State and Location of Foreign Bank Accounts, GAO-14-265R: Published: Jan 6, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 19, 2014. MEDICAID: Demographics and Service Usage of Certain High-Expenditure Beneficiaries, GAO-14-176: Published: Feb 19, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 19, 2014. OIL AND GAS: Interior Has Begun to Address Hiring and Retention Challenges but Needs to Do More, GAO-14-205: Published: Jan… Continue Reading
The Slow Recovery of the Labor Market
CBO report, February 4, 2014: “The deep recession that began in December 2007, when the economy began to contract, and ended in June 2009, when the economy began to expand again, has had a lasting effect on the labor market. More than four and a half years after the end of the recession, employment has… Continue Reading
CRS – U.S. Farm Income
U.S. Farm Income, Randy Schnepf, Specialist in Agricultural Policy, December 3, 2013. “According to USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), national net farm income – a key indicator of U.S. farm well-being – is forecast at a record $131 billion in 2013, up 15% from last year, and about $13 billion above 2011’s previous record. In addition to record net… Continue Reading
FBI Releases Preliminary Semiannual Crime Statistics for 2013
“Statistics released today in the FBI’s Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report reveal declines in both the violent crime and the property crime reported in the first six months of 2013 when compared with figures for the first six months of 2012. The report is based on information from 12,723 law enforcement agencies that submitted three to six… Continue Reading
CRS – The Debt Limit Since 2011
The Debt Limit Since 2011. D. Andrew Austin, Analyst in Economic Policy. February 12, 2014. “The Constitution grants Congress the power to borrow money on the credit of the United States—one part of its power of the purse—and thus mandates that Congress exercise control over federal debt. Control of debt policy has at times provided Congress with a means… Continue Reading
Gulf War and Health, Volume 9
Long-Term Effects of Blast Exposures (2014): “Since the United States began combat operations in Afghanistan in October 2001 and then in Iraq in March 2003, the numbers of US soldiers killed exceed 6,700 and of US soldiers wounded 50,500. Although all wars since World War I have involved the use of explosives by the enemy, the wars… Continue Reading
Approaches to Reducing Federal Spending on Military Health Care
“In 2012, the Department of Defense (DoD) spent $52 billion on health care for service members, retirees, and their families. The department offers health care to nearly 10 million people through its TRICARE program, an integrated system of military health care providers and regional networks of civilian providers. Established in 1993, TRICARE now consists of… Continue Reading
BIS effective exchange rate indices
“The BIS effective exchange rate (EER) indices now cover 61 economies (including individual euro area countries and, separately, the euro area as an entity). The most recent weights are based on trade in 2008-10 and the indices’ base year is 2010. Two basket compositions are available: Broad indices comprising 61 economies, with data from 1994 (CSV, 172… Continue Reading
New York Fed – Household Debt and Credit Report
“The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Household Debt and Credit Report provides a quarterly snapshot of household trends in borrowing and indebtedness, including data about mortgages, student loans, credit cards, auto loans and delinquencies. The report aims to help community groups, small businesses, state and local governments and the public to better understand, monitor… Continue Reading
