Obama: End 'Cycles of Bubbles and Bust'

Obama, Boehner must promote American confidence

(NEWSER) - There’s a big economic problem that’s been keeping a low profile: American confidence, writes David Smick in the Washington Post . “Between $2.5 trillion and $4 trillion of private capital is waiting on the sidelines to ‘reliquify’ a new era of American confidence and innovation,” he notes. Now, we need a bipartisan effort to create an environment that inspires optimism. More»

Ignore the political crowd, the president's been great for business

(NEWSER) - President Obama doesn't get much political credit for it, but the numbers show his economic policies have been a resounding success. Since he took office, the S&P 500 is up 41%, credit spreads have narrowed, commodity prices have surged, and housing prices have stabilized, writes Mike Dorning of Bloomberg . GDP grew 5.9% in the fourth quarter, far more than analysts predicted, and job losses have slowed. More»

Republican Party lacks opposition bump usually accompanying hard times

(NEWSER) - Americans are bummed about the economy, but that hasn’t given Republicans the usual opposition party boost in Washington . “The mood in America may be blue, but attitudes toward Washington are just jet black,” a pollster tells the Wall Street Journal . Some 58% of respondents think the economy will continue to fester, up from 52% last month. But folks would still rather have the Dems in control after midterms, 46% to 38%; those numbers were 43% to 40% in September. More»

(NEWSER) - If there’s any justice, Ben Bernanke will get another go-around at the helm of the Federal Reserve, Paul Krugman tells Bloomberg. “He’s earned the right to a second term,” the Nobel laureate says. “When the banking system failed to deliver capital where it was needed, he put the Fed into the market.” Bernanke’s 4-year term ends in January, and debate has been swirling over whether he should be reappointed. More»

Good news for prez ahead of today's job-loss report

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s stimulus package appears to have helped the economy bottom out more swiftly, an economists’ report says. Analysts hold that the stimulus boosted economic growth by about a percentage point in the second quarter—not enough to keep the economy from shrinking but enough to slow the pace of decline, reports the New York Times. More»