Tag Archives: fiscal deficits

"Risk-Off" danger zone for the year begins

By Andrew Busch | Published: February 22, 2011

The global financial markets are beginning to show signs of distress and volatility after an exceptional strong rally in US equities and global risk. The market narrative is shifting from a positive discussion on earnings and a US recovery to a negative conversation over global inflation, fiscal imbalances and political turmoil. This shift should mean uncertainty will rise and investor sentiment will pullback in reaction to this unstable environment.

One of my major concerns at the beginning of the year was food inflation and the potential for domestic instability. The dramatic rise in the price of corn, wheat and rice … …READ MORE

Posted in Front Page | Also tagged , , , | Leave a comment

My Congressional Testimony on the 2009 Stimulus Bill

By Andrew Busch | Published: February 18, 2011

On Wednesday, I was asked to provide testimony to Congress on, “The Stimulus: Two Years Later.” I joined Prof. John Taylor, Dr. Russell Roberts, Dr. J.D. Foster, Alex Brill and Chris Edwards on a panel before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. While there was general agreement that the stimulus bill was ineffective, there was one startling fact presented by AEI’s Brill that stood out: $200 billion of the original $787 billion stimulus funds has not been spent. This fact alone should be kept in mind when we hear calls from more stimulus and deficit spending.

Below is … …READ MORE

Posted in Front Page | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment

UK Puts On a Toga

By Andrew Busch | Published: May 17, 2010

A new government is formed in Europe and problems ensue. They check the books from the outgoing administration and discover things are worse than they knew. If this sounds familiar, it should as this is what happened in Greece. It is now occurring in the United Kingdom.

The new coalition government in the UK has called for independent auditors to review the UK’s finances to establish the true scale of the official deficit and debts. The Office for Budget Responsibility will start tomorrow on the project. Keep a keen eye out for when they will deliver their report as it … …READ MORE

Posted in Front Page | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment

Following The Father of Modern Economics

By Andrew Busch | Published: March 3, 2010

By maintaining a quixotic filibuster against a Senate jobless bill, Senator Jim Bunning lit the fire of Democratic and Republican hyperbole against him. From Democratic Senate Majority leader Harry Reid to Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, they all asked him to relent and simultaneously criticized his one-man party of no. The Democrats seized on the filibuster as an example of Republican obstructionism and a strategy of block and delay. Under tremendous pressure from both sides, Bunning relented and the Senate passed a bill extending jobless benefits through April 5th.

This situation underscores exactly how difficult it will be for anyone in … …READ MORE

Posted in Front Page | Also tagged , , , | Leave a comment

  • Recent TWEETS @abusch