Perhaps American Capitalism Isn’t Broken After All: Clive Crook
©2015 Bloomberg View NS3OC36JTSE8 (Bloomberg View) — One of the best-loved stories about the squeeze on middle-class incomes in the U.S. concerns the long- term divergence between wages and productivity. This goes as follows: Wages have stagnated for decades even as output and profits kept going up. Owners of capital
What Clinton’s Capital Gains Plan Won’t Achieve: Megan McArdle
©2015 Bloomberg View NS0DHR6KLVR6 (Bloomberg View) — Hillary Clinton does not like short- term investments. This I gather from her recent pronouncements upon the subject, and also, her new plans to tax capital gains on a sliding scale depending on how long you hold the asset. I have one thought
Chicago Public Worker Pension Reform Plan Found Illegal
©2015 Bloomberg News NS09B9SYF01V (Bloomberg) — A plan to ease Chicago’s $20 billion public- worker pension deficit is illegal, an Illinois judge ruled, leaving the city vulnerable to another credit downgrade. Immediately after the ruling, Standard & Poor’s said it would probably lower the city’s rating again if a solution
Trump Is a Godsend for Huckabee and Perry: Jonathan Bernstein
©2015 Bloomberg View NRWM0G6JTSEC (Bloomberg View) — The circus surrounding Donald Trump’s presidential run is a big opportunity for Republicans as they prepare for their first presidential debate set for Aug. 6. This is especially true for the candidates who are trailing in the polls but may be invited to
Iran Fleeced U.S. in Nuclear Deal, Republicans Tell Kerry
©2015 Bloomberg News NRYQ716JTSE8 (Bloomberg) — Republicans scoffed that the Obama administration was fleeced in the nuclear deal with Iran, as Secretary of State John Kerry retorted that critics were imagining a “unicorn arrangement involving Iran’s complete capitulation.” The strong words on both sides reflected the high stakes as three
Oil Stems Decline in Bear Market as Volatility Climbs Second Day
©2015 Bloomberg News NRYZPN6K50XS (For Bloomberg fair value curves, see CFVL ) (Bloomberg) — Oil trimmed its losses in a bear market as trading volatility advanced to the highest in almost two weeks. Futures climbed as much as 1 percent in New York. West Texas Intermediate has slumped more than
Dollar Gains With S&P 500 Futures; Asia Stocks Swing, Kiwi Jumps
©2015 Bloomberg News NRX8RO6K50Y5 (Bloomberg) — The dollar hit a five-year high versus Asian emerging peers and U.S. equity-index futures climbed before data on jobless claims. Asian stocks swung between gains and losses, while New Zealand’s currency jumped after interest rates were cut. The greenback climbed 0.8 percent versus South
Inside Candidate Trump’s $110,000 Hollywood Pension Disclosure
©2015 Bloomberg News NRX43Z6TTDS7 (Bloomberg) — Deep inside the 92 pages of financial disclosures for Donald Trump’s presidential run is a $110,228 pension the real-estate mogul receives from the Screen Actors Guild. It may seem strange that a billionaire developer who moonlights as a reality-show host would collect a pension.
In Land of 43% Unemployment, Forgotten Gaza Crisis Rages On
©2015 Bloomberg News NRVZL66JTSEK (Bloomberg) — They roll by on flatbed trucks, 12-foot missiles bearing the names of Hamas commanders killed in an Israeli air strike: the Shamalah, the Attar. The scene is a parade through central Gaza City this month on the one-year anniversary of the most recent of
Gold Futures Extend Slide to Head for Longest Slump in 19 Years
©2015 Bloomberg News NRVBGQ6K50XW (Bloomberg) — Gold retreated for a 10th day in New York, headed for the longest losing streak since 1996 as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. predicted further declines. Futures for August delivery fell as much as 0.9 percent to $1,093.90 an ounce. Prices could fall below $1,000