Category «Economy»

CRS – Independence of Federal Financial Regulators

Independence of Federal Financial Regulators. Henry B. Hogue, Specialist in American National Government; Marc Labonte, Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy; Baird Webel, Specialist in Financial Economics. February 12, 2014 “This report discusses institutional features that make federal financial regulators (as well as other independent agencies) relatively independent from the President and Congress. These characteristics are diverse, their relationship to independence sometimes subtle, and they are …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

New GAO Report – Plutonium Disposition Program

PLUTONIUM DISPOSITION PROGRAM: DOE Needs to Analyze the Root Causes of Cost Increases and Develop Better Cost Estimates, GAO-14-231: Published: Feb 13, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 13, 2014. “The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) identified various drivers for the close to $3 billion increase in the estimated cost of the Plutonium Disposition program’s two …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Government Documents

Feasibility study on approaches to aggregate OTC derivatives data

Consultation Paper – Feasibility study on approaches to aggregate OTC derivatives data. Financial Stability Board. February 4, 2014. “A good deal of progress has been made in establishing the market infrastructure to support the commitment that all contracts be reported to TRs. However, the data will be reported to  multiple TRs located in a number of jurisdictions. The …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System

EIA – Syria Country Analysis Brief

Report – “Syria’s energy sector is in turmoil because of the ongoing hostilities between government and opposition forces. Syria’s oil and natural gas production has declined dramatically since March 2011 because of the conflict and because of the subsequent imposition of sanctions by the United States and European Union in particular. Syria’s energy sector is …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Government Documents

Who’s Borrowing Now? Change in Debt by Credit Score and Age Group

“The New York Fed’s Household Debt and Credit Report for 2013Q4 shows that net aggregate household borrowing has resumed, and our blog post discusses who is driving this change and how it compares with 2006. The charts here show contributions to changes in balances by borrower age and credit score (we use the Equifax Risk Score for these) for …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, January 28-29, 2014

“The Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Open Market Committee on Wednesday released the attached minutes of the Committee meeting held on January 28-29, 2014. The minutes for each regularly scheduled meeting of the Committee ordinarily are made available three weeks after the day of the policy decision and subsequently are published in the Board’s Annual …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

New GAO Reports – IRS’s Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, Medicaid, Oil and Gas

IRS’S OFFSHORE VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE PROGRAM: 2009 Participation by State and Location of Foreign Bank Accounts, GAO-14-265R: Published: Jan 6, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 19, 2014. MEDICAID: Demographics and Service Usage of Certain High-Expenditure Beneficiaries, GAO-14-176: Published: Feb 19, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 19, 2014. OIL AND GAS: Interior Has Begun to Address Hiring and Retention Challenges but Needs to Do More, GAO-14-205: Published: Jan …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care

CRS – The Debt Limit Since 2011

The Debt Limit Since 2011. D. Andrew Austin, Analyst in Economic Policy. February 12, 2014. “The Constitution grants Congress the power to borrow money on the credit of the United States—one part of its power of the purse—and thus mandates that Congress exercise control over federal debt. Control of debt policy has at times provided Congress with a means …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Approaches to Reducing Federal Spending on Military Health Care

“In 2012, the Department of Defense (DoD) spent $52 billion on health care for service members, retirees, and their families. The department offers health care to nearly 10 million people through its TRICARE program, an integrated system of military health care providers and regional networks of civilian providers. Established in 1993, TRICARE now consists of …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Government Documents, Health Care, Medicine

BIS effective exchange rate indices

“The BIS effective exchange rate (EER) indices now cover 61 economies (including individual euro area countries and, separately, the euro area as an entity). The most recent weights are based on trade in 2008-10 and the indices’ base year is 2010. Two basket compositions are available: Broad indices comprising 61 economies, with data from 1994 (CSV, 172 …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

New York Fed – Household Debt and Credit Report

“The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Household Debt and Credit Report provides a quarterly snapshot of household trends in borrowing and indebtedness, including data about mortgages, student loans, credit cards, auto loans and delinquencies. The report aims to help community groups, small businesses, state and local governments and the public to better understand, monitor …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents