Economics for One

A study by USA Today and the American University shows a shocking, but unsurprising result of the bank bailouts:

“Banks that received federal assistance during the financial crisis reduced lending more aggressively and gave bigger pay raises to employees than institutions that didn’t get aid.”

Using federal bank data, they compared 940 banks in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and 7,400 banks outside it.  That’s a pretty thorough study.

Here are some of their published findings:
Read more…

Here is a list of the banks that have failed so far this year. Read more…

A friend recently sent me a link to this chart.  I think the implied correlation of interest rates to home ownership is questionable.  On the other hand, it’s pretty clear that the savings rate and the interest rate are highly correlated.

Here’s a great chart comparing the losses in the stock market during various economic downturns, courtesy of www.dshort.com.

Four Bad Bears

John Williams has developed a great site that publishes unadulterated versions of many of the standard economic statistics.  You can find it at www.shadowstats.com.

From his web site:

Have you ever wondered why the CPI, GDP and employment numbers run counter to your personal and business experiences? The problem lies in biased and often-manipulated government reporting.

The government has a vested interest in misrepresenting key economic data, such as the unemployment rate and the rate of inflation.  Basic economics, and common sense, suggest that they will likely follow their self interest. Read more…