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economics
economics
The Closer Your Last Name Is To Z, The Faster You Buy
By Ben Popken on June 2, 2011 2:00 PM
76 Comments
A study finds that the closer your last name is to the end of the alphabet, the faster you make purchasing decisions. And yes, the behavior is ingrained in us based on how we all used to line up in school. More »
Delta Auctions Off Flight Bumps To Lowest Bidders
By Ben Popken on January 5, 2011 2:00 PM
72 Comments
A reader over at Marginal Revolution spotted Delta's new system where when you check in at the kiosk it asks you to bid on what it would cost to get you to volunteer your seat. Below the entry box it says, "Delta accepts lower bids first." Genius! More »
Study: Higher Minimum Wage Doesn't Increase Unemployment
By Ben Popken on November 1, 2010 5:00 PM
160 Comments
A new study shows that increased minimum wage does not increase unemployment. More »
Um, Just What The Heck Is Quantitative Easing And Why Are We Doing It?
By Meg Marco on October 27, 2010 1:55 PM
76 Comments
There's been a lot of talk over the last few days about "quantitative easing," but if you're wondering what it is and why it matters — you're not alone. Long story short — it's a way for the Fed to create money out of thin air. More »
(cjw333)
Fancy Math Says Book 8 Weeks In Advance For Cheapest Flights
By Ben Popken on August 31, 2010 10:00 AM
22 Comments
The cheapest time to get your airline tickets is 8 weeks in advance, says an economist who came up with a fancy formula, ∏A = gUG + min(k-g, (1-g)(1-r)), to figure it out. More »
More Than 40 Experts Issue Call For More Government Stimulus And Tax Credits
By Chris Walters on July 20, 2010 9:00 AM
106 Comments
Online news site The Daily Beast is apparently tired of this whole "floundering economy" thing, so it got more than a dozen economists and historians to come together and issue a manifesto yesterday calling on the U.S. government to "reboot America." By the end of the day, the number of experts supporting the manifesto increased to more than 40. They argue that the government has to help return lost purchasing power to the unemployed and must use tax cuts and stimulus to boost overall demand, or we'll never make it out of this slump. More »
(bradipo)
Savings Rate Goes Up, But Spending Doesn't
By Chris Walters on June 29, 2010 8:05 AM
45 Comments
As a nation, we saved more of our paychecks last month than any time since last September—nearly 4% of income went unspent. That worries economists, because it means we're not spending at a high enough rate to support an economic recovery. But as the Washington Post notes, since unemployment remains high and most of the recent wage growth came from the government, consumers aren't exactly comfortable with buying something shiny and new just because it's on sale. More »
Are We Entering The Third Depression?
By Meg Marco on June 28, 2010 1:45 PM
102 Comments
Paul Krugman, economist and NYT columnist thinks so, and suggests that now is not the time to radically cut back in spending. He says that recent speeches coming out of Europe seem to be taken from the Hoover playbook, and he's worried. More »
If The Economy Added 290,000 New Jobs, Why Did The Unemployment Rate Go Up?
By Meg Marco on May 7, 2010 10:20 AM
46 Comments
You might have noticed a few headlines this morning about the good jobs news — 290,000 new jobs were added in March — coupled with the rather grim realization that the unemployment rate climbed to 9.9%. What's up with that? More »
Study Finds Grocery Store Shoppers Are Honest Folk
By Chris Walters on March 24, 2010 10:53 AM
19 Comments
The people on that People of Walmart website may wear some ugly t-shirts, but at least they're honest when it comes to dealing with strangers. According to a new study that looked at how markets, religion, and the size of a community impact concepts of fairness and punishment, Walmart grocery shoppers in Missouri came out on top in terms of treating the other side fairly and punishing selfishness. More »
As The Economy Improves, Shoppers Ditch Walmart
By Meg Marco on March 22, 2010 3:41 PM
98 Comments
The NY Post says that they've found a correlation between economic growth and same store sales at Walmart. Their theory is that as the economy improves, people run away from the big blue box. More »
2 Dead Economists In An Epic Rap Battle
By Ben Popken on March 5, 2010 3:04 PM
46 Comments
An oddly high-produced music video rap battle between economists John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek. It crystallizes and communicates the differences between macroeconomic and classic liberal free-market capitalism through the magic of hiphop. It seems weighted towards Hayek but it's entertaining nonetheless, even though I'm sure Tea Party folks probably email it to their friends with lots of dancing emoticons and angel gifs. What side do you fall on, Keynes or Hayek? More »
After 3 Months, Only 35 Paying Customers For Newspaper's Web Site
By Meg Marco on January 26, 2010 3:54 PM
86 Comments
Newsday is a Long Island newspaper. Some people bought it for $650 million and put it behind a pay wall. Three months later, they've got 35 subscribers. Yes, 35. More »
(Photo:Steve Rhode)
Sign The Slip Or Enter Your PIN? The Difference Is Fees
By Meg Marco on January 5, 2010 12:24 PM
117 Comments
The NYT has an interesting article about what does on behind the scenes when you make a purchase at a retailer with your VISA debit card. You typically have two choices — you can enter your PIN or choose to sign. When you sign the retailer has to pay higher fees to VISA. More »
Tiger Woods' Off-Road Adventure Cost Shareholders $12B
By Meg Marco on December 30, 2009 10:37 AM
41 Comments
A new study says that Tiger Woods spectacular fall from grace has cost shareholders of the firms that used him as a spokesperson to lose $12 billion in value. More »
Unemployment Hits A 26-Year High Of 10.2%
By Meg Marco on November 6, 2009 3:59 PM
63 Comments
—>The pace of job losses has slowed significantly, but the economy still divested itself of 190,000 jobs in October, sending the national unemployment rate to 10.2%, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It should be noted that the unemployment rate only tracks people actively seeking work. More »
Problem Solved! GDP Shows 3.5% Growth
By Meg Marco on October 29, 2009 3:53 PM
15 Comments
—>No, just kidding. We know you still don't have a job. The Commerce Department announced that the economy grew 3.5% in the third quarter — snapping the longest streak of economic contraction since 1947. More »
Homeless? If You Can Prove There's A Relative Who'll Take You In, NYC Will Pay Your Way
By Meg Marco on July 29, 2009 8:30 PM
110 Comments
—>NYC wants to have less homeless people — even if that means buying them a one way ticket out of town. The NYT says that the Bloomberg administration has paid for 550 homeless people to leave the city — including flying people to "Paris ($6,332), Orlando ($858.40), Johannesburg ($2,550.70), or most frequently, San Juan ($484.20)." More »
Everyone Still Shocked That High Unemployment Leads To Low Consumer Confidence
By Meg Marco on July 28, 2009 5:09 PM
64 Comments
—>Consumer Confidence is down again. For example, the new score is 46.6. NPR says, "It would take a reading above 90 to signal that the economy is on solid footing." More »
Read Chris Anderson's Book 'Free' For Free
By Chris Walters on July 21, 2009 1:08 PM
34 Comments
—>Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired and author of The Long Tail, has published a new book that looks at something of interest to Consumerist: the trend of content and services to slide toward free, especially in the digital world. It's pretty light reading and an interesting look at economics in the digital marketplace in particular—and for now, at least, it's available in multiple formats for free. More »
