New York Times (November 14, 2013)
“After a surprising spurt of strong growth in the first half of the year, the Japanese economy seems to be running out of steam as exports and consumer spending show signs of weakening.” The annualized growth rate was dramatically halved, from 3.8% in the second quarter to 1.9% in the third quarter. However, the consensus suggest the rate will increase in coming quarters ahead of the consumption tax hike in April 2014.
Tags: Consumer spending, Consumption tax, Economy, Exports, Growth, Japan, Weakening
New York Times (August 25)
President Obama should push to see that underwater homeowners, whose home values are less than the balance of their loans, are able to refinance their mortgages at lower rates. There will be opposition, but “the public benefit from fewer defaults and foreclosures—along with the impact of more consumer spending—should trump any benefit derived from squeezing every last penny of interest from homeowners.”
Tags: Consumer spending, Economy, Homeowners, Mortgage, Obama, U.S.
