News release: “Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in January indicates that growth in economic activity slowed during the winter months, in part reflecting adverse weather conditions. Labor market indicators were mixed but on balance showed further improvement. The unemployment rate, however, remains elevated. Household spending and business fixed investment continued to… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Regulatory & Risk Management Burden Grows Heavier for U.S. Banks and Credit Unions
“U.S. banks and credit unions are carrying a much heavier regulatory and risk management burden than they were a year ago. That’s according to the results of the latest Regulatory & Risk Management Indicator for the U.S. banking industry issued today by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, a comprehensive provider of risk management, compliance, finance and audit solutions and… Continue Reading
EBRI’s 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey: Confidence Rebounds—for Those With Retirement Plans
March 2014 EBRI Issue Brief #397 Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2014. Executive Summary “The percentage of workers confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement, at record lows between 2009 and 2013, increased in 2014. Eighteen percent are now very confident (up from 13 percent in 2013), while 37 percent are somewhat confident. Twenty-four percent are… Continue Reading
GAO Report – Whistleblower Protection Program
WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION PROGRAM: Opportunities Exist for OSHA and DOT to Strengthen Collaborative Mechanisms, GAO-14-286: Published: Mar 19, 2014. Publicly Released: Mar 19, 2014: ” The number of transportation-related whistleblower claims filed with OSHA has increased in the last 6 years—from 508 in fiscal year 2008 to 821 in fiscal year 2013—and GAO’s interviews with transportation industry stakeholders identified… Continue Reading
Are Prior User Rights Good for Software?
Vetter, Greg R., Are Prior User Rights Good for Software? (March 17, 2014). U of Houston Law Center No. 2014-W-1. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2410689 “The America Invents Act (“AIA”) gave modern patent law in the United States a general prior user rights defense. The patent right is enforced via infringement litigation, but enterprises sometimes obtain… Continue Reading
Federal Drug Prosecutions Fall to Lowest Level in Over 13 Years
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “The monthly count of federal prosecutions for narcotics/drugs offenses has reached its lowest level since May 2000. The latest available data from the Justice Department show there were 1,487 new prosecutions in this category in January 2014, down 7.8 percent from the previous month and down 11.5 percent from the year before.… Continue Reading
The Financial Capability of Young Adults – A Generational View
“An examination of data from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation’s National Financial Capability Study (State-by-State Survey) found that millennials are struggling financially. In particular, they exhibit a number of problematic financial behaviors, display low levels of financial literacy and express concerns about their debt. Within the millennial generation, females and minorities display signs of lower financial capability relative to males… Continue Reading
IMF – Sound Policy Design: the Efficient Way to Cut Inequality
“Growing inequality in recent years has put increased pressure on fiscal policy to redistribute income. While the question of just how much redistribution the state should do, in the end, rests with national governments, the design of the policies themselves has a critical bearing on their effects on efficiency and growth. The design of these growth-friendly,… Continue Reading
IMF – Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth
Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth. Jonathan D. Ostry, Andrew Berg, and Charalambos G. Tsangarides. February 2014. “Economists are increasingly focusing on the links between rising inequality and the fragility of growth. Narratives include the relationship between inequality, leverage and the financial cycle, which sowed the seeds for crisis; and the role of political-economy factors (especially the influence of the rich)… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Military Housing, Nuclear Command/Control, Missile Defense, Afghanistan, USPS, Capital Financing
MILITARY HOUSING: Information on the Privatization of Unaccompanied Personnel Housing, GAO-14-313: Published: Mar 18, 2014. Publicly Released: Mar 18, 2014. NUCLEAR COMMAND, CONTROL, AND COMMUNICATIONS: Review of DOD’s Current Modernization Efforts, GAO-14-414R: Published: Mar 18, 2014. Publicly Released: Mar 18, 2014. REGIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE: DOD’s Report Provided Limited Information; Assessment of Acquisition Risks is Optimistic, GAO-14-248R: Published: Mar 14, 2014. Publicly Released: Mar… Continue Reading
The World Top Incomes Database
Economic and Social Research Council: “Select, retrieve and download the data and the notes to the series using the menu here. Ctrl+click (in Windows) or Cmd+click (in Mac OS) for selecting multiple contiguous or non-contiguous countries and variables. To download the complete database, tick ‘all’ countries, ‘all’ years, ‘all’ variables, and retrieve the data. Move… Continue Reading
Urgent action needed to tackle rising inequality and social divisions, says OECD
“Income inequality and social divisions could worsen and become entrenched unless governments act quickly to boost support for the most vulnerable in society, according to a new OECD report. Society at a Glance 2014 says that despite a gradually improving global economy, medium-term fiscal consolidation in many countries will pose challenges for tackling the social fallout from the… Continue Reading
