Dean Baker | TalkMarkets | Page 4
Co-Director at Center for Economic and Policy Research
Dean Baker co-founded CEPR in 1999. His areas of research include housing and macroeconomics, intellectual property, Social Security, Medicare and European labor markets. He is the author of several books, including "Getting Back to Full Employment: A Better ...more

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In Defense Of Taxing Stock Buybacks
I don’t accept the idea that companies are foregoing good investment opportunities by buying back shares. I’m generally inclined to think that companies invest where they see profitable opportunities.
Is Inflation Out Of Control, Again?
The January data on consumer expenditures released recently had many people freaking out. For those of us hoping that inflation would come down without a big jump in unemployment, the report was definitely bad news.
The Future Of Vehicle Prices
I recently noticed that the Manheim index for used vehicle prices showed a sharp uptick for January and the first half of February. Perhaps my expectation that vehicle prices would soon look like they were back on their pre-pandemic path was wrong.
The $119 Billion Spent On Food Stamps Last Year Was 1.9 Percent Of Federal Spending, But You All Knew That, Right?
The federal government spent $6,272 billion last year, which means that the food stamp program accounted for a bit less than 1.9 percent of total spending.
That 3.0 Percent Jump In Retail Sales In January Is Not A Big Deal
No one looking at retail sales over the past three months can be concerned that they are growing too rapidly, even if the January jump, taken in isolation, might imply that.
The Fed’s 2.0 Percent Inflation Target
Many people have called for raising the Fed’s inflation target to 3.0 percent or even 4.0 percent. If the Fed is going to change its target, it should be done after it has brought inflation down to the 2.0 percent target.
Job Growth: Is The Household Or Establishment Survey Right?
It is at least worth considering the possibility that the household survey could be closer to the mark for 2022. There are two important data points that raise this possibility.
After Fourth Quarter GDP, Economy Looks Solid Unless Fed Derails Economy
While the media keep touting the prospects for a recession, it is difficult to see why there would be one in the immediate future.
Debt, Deficits, Secular Stagnation And The Which Way Is Up Problem In Economics
Our major concern going forward will be too little demand. That means the Fed can do an awful lot of quantitative easing without causing any problems for the economy.
Whipped Inflation, Now
With the drop in prices reported in December, the real average hourly wage for all workers is now 0.3 percent above its pre-pandemic level.
The Good And Better News About The Economy
There are good reasons for believing that we will see much slower inflation going forward. If we continue to see moderate nominal wage growth in 2023, that will translate into a healthy pace of real wage growth.
Big Victory On Retirement Income In Omnibus Spending Bill
Defending Social Security was crucial, both because tens of millions of people depend on it for most or all of their income, but also because it was a model social program.
Quick Note On Minimum Age For Mandatory Retirement Fund Distributions
One not-so-good item in the package of retirement fund provisions in the omnibus funding bill raises the age for mandatory distributions from retirement accounts from 72 to 75.
Industrial Policy Is Not A Remedy For Income Inequality
The government has always favored some industries, implicitly at the expense of others, so we are not doing something new if we declare “industrial policy”.
Real Consumption Rises As Inflation Decimates People In Joe Biden’s America
Non-healthcare consumption, after falling during the worst period of the pandemic, jumped up in 2021, putting it well above its pre-pandemic trend.
A Quick Note On That Record Low Savings Rate
While it is undoubtedly true that the savings rate has fallen by any measure, a large part of the decline is due to people paying taxes on capital gains.
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