Submitted by CARPE DIEM
The chart above (click to enlarge) shows the percent change (from a year ago) in the Adjusted Monetary Base. It’s now growing at an annual rate of only 0.70% through April 23, down from 10% in 2002, and the lowest rate in more than 7 years.

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM
What are the main economic differences between right-to-work states and forced-union states (see map above)?

Not much really, except that compared to forced-union states, right-to-work states have had faster economic growth, lower unemployment rates, greater employment growth, higher state real GDP growth, greater growth in personal income, higher population growth, and greater home […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM
From today’s BLS employment report, here’s what probably won’t get reported:

According to the more comprehensive Household Survey Data (which unlike the establishment data, includes the self-employed, unpaid family workers, agricultural workers, and private household workers), there were 146.331 million Americans employed in April (see chart above), which is: a) 618,000 higher […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM
Check out The Price of a Pint database of World Beer Prices in 182 countries, priced in USDs, BPs, Euros, $CAN and $AUD, including a list of the most expensive countries (#1 is Monaco - $11 for a pint) and most affordable countries (#1 is Congo - 15 cents for a pint).

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Submitted by The Capital Spectator
It’s hardly great news, but the fact that job destruction was a bit less destructive last month will inspire the optimists that the recovery has begun.
Nonfarm payrolls shrunk by a relatively modest 20,000 last month, or roughly a quarter of the monthly losses that have been posted in each of the […]

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Submitted by Econbrowser
The Wall Street Journal had a very disturbing story on Wednesday about the “Fast and Easy” loan program of Countrywide Financial Corporation, many of whose mortgages were bought up by Fannie Mae.
WSJ reports:
Some of the problems are surfacing in a mortgage program called “Fast and Easy,” in which borrowers were asked to provide […]

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Submitted by A Dash of Insight
Sophisticated market observers and economists joined today in objecting to Presidential candidate positions on energy issues.
The Statements
Sen. McCain was first with a proposal for a “gas tax holiday” this summer.  Sen. Clinton joined in, leaving Sen. Obama as the only holdout for maintaining federal gasoline taxes.
Sen. Clinton has been even […]

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