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Daily Archives: April 23, 2015

Global Financial Stability Report, April 2015

Global Financial Stability Report, April 2015 : Navigating Monetary Policy Challenges and Managing Risks, International Monetary Fund. “The current report finds that, despite an improvement in economic prospects in some key advanced economies, new challenges to global financial stability have arisen. The global financial system is being buffeted by a series of changes, including lower oil prices and, in some cases, diverging growth patterns and monetary policies. Expectations for rising U.S. policy rates sparked a significant appreciation of the U.S. dollar, while long term bond yields in many advanced economies have decreased—and have turned negative for almost a third of euro area sovereign bonds—on disinflation concerns and the prospect of continued monetary accommodation. Emerging markets are caught in these global cross currents, with some oil exporters and other facing new stability challenges, while others have gained more policy space as a result of lower fuel prices and reduced inflationary pressures. The report also examines changes in international banking since the global financial crisis and finds that these changes are likely to promote more stable bank lending in host countries. Finally, the report finds that the asset management industry needs to strengthen its oversight framework to address financial stability risks from incentive problems between end-investors and portfolio managers and the risk of runs due to liquidity mismatches.”

CRS – Cuba: Issues for the 114th Congress

Cuba: Issues for the 114th Congress. Mark P. Sullivan Specialist in Latin American Affairs, April 17, 2015. “Cuba remains a one-party communist state with a poor record on human rights. The country’s political succession in 2006 from the long-ruling Fidel Castro to his brother Raúl was characterized by a remarkable degree of stability. In 2013,… Continue Reading

Mountaintop Mining: Background on Current Controversies

CRS Report – Mountaintop Mining: Background on Current Controversies. Claudia Copeland, Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy. April 20, 2015. “Mountaintop removal mining involves removing the top of a mountain in order to recover the coal seams contained there. This practice occurs in six Appalachian states (Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Ohio). It… Continue Reading

USGS – Oil and gas operations could trigger large earthquakes

“Significant strides in science have been made to better understand potential ground shaking from induced earthquakes, which are earthquakes triggered by man-made practices. Earthquake activity has sharply increased since 2009 in the central and eastern United States. The increase has been linked to industrial operations that dispose of wastewater by injecting it into deep wells.… Continue Reading

Sacramento Tops Large Counties in Employment Growth Rate

“Among the 50 largest counties with the most employees, Sacramento, Calif., had the highest rate of employment growth among all sectors between 2012 and 2013 (up 5.5 percent to 428,475), according to new U.S. Census Bureau statistics released today. Sacramento was followed by two Texas counties: Travis (up 4.9 percent to 514,749) and Harris (up… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Airport Funding

Airport Funding: Changes in Aviation Activity Are Reflected in Reduced Capacity Concerns, GAO-15-498T: Published: Apr 23, 2015. Publicly Released: Apr 23, 2015: “U.S. airports are key contributors to the national and regional economies, providing mobility for people and goods, both domestically and internationally. Since 2007 when GAO last reported on airport funding, airports of all… Continue Reading

A Report Card on Child Homelessness

America’s Youngest Outcasts – A Report Card on Child Homelessness, American Institute of Research, November 2014: “America’s Youngest Outcasts reports on child homelessness in the United States based on the most recent federal data that comprehensively counts homeless children, using more than 30 variables from over a dozen established data sets. A staggering 2.5 million… Continue Reading