Category «Economy»

Agencies Issue FAQ on Collateralized Debt Obligations Backed by Trust Preferred Securities under Final Rules Implementing “Volcker Rule”

“Three federal financial institution regulatory agencies today issued a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document to provide clarification and guidance to banking entities regarding investments in “Covered Funds” and whether collateralized debt obligations backed by trust preferred securities (TruPS CDOs) could be determined to be Covered Funds under the final rules to implement section 619 of …

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

OCC Reports Third Quarter Trading Revenue of $4.5 Billion

“Insured U.S. commercial banks and savings institutions reported trading revenue of $4.5 billion in the third quarter of 2013, down $2.8 billion, or 38 percent, from $7.3 billion in the second quarter. Trading revenue in the third quarter was $0.8 billion, or 15 percent, lower than in the third quarter of 2012, the Office of …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Border Adjustments for Economywide Policies That Impose a Price on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

“Human activities around the world are producing increasingly large quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the most abundant of which is carbon dioxide (CO2). In recent years, concerns about the effects those emissions might have on the climate have prompted the Congress, federal regulators, and others to consider policies to reduce them. This CBO report examines …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents

CBO – Federal Investment

Federal Investment, December 19, 2013 “The federal government pays for a wide range of goods and services that are expected to be useful some years in the future. Those purchases, called investment, fall into three categories: physical capital, research and development (R&D), and education and training. There are several economic rationales for federal investment. It …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

International Trade and Carbon Leakage: Working Paper 2013-08

Working Paper Series, Congressional Budget Office. International Trade and Carbon Leakage, Bruce Arnold, December 2013. Working Paper 2013-08 “Under a broad-based carbon tax or cap-and-trade program, some of the reduction in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions would probably be offset by increases in foreign emissions that would not otherwise have occurred, a phenomenon known as carbon leakage. Industries with substantial total …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Measuring OECD Responses to Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries

Measuring OECD Responses to Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries “Strengthening OECD firewalls can only do so much to combat a phenomenon which thrives on weak governance. This report highlights that donor agencies can support this goal through their central role in linking OECD and developing countries, and using their aid to support governments willing …

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

Resetting the Poverty Debate: State of the States 2013

Resetting the Poverty Debate: State of the States 2013 by Erik Stegman and Sarah Baron | December 17, 2013 “In 2012, the official poverty rate in the United States was 15 percent, statistically unchanged from 2011. Nearly one in six people, or 46.5 million Americans, lived below the official federal poverty line—$23,492 per year for a family of four. Each year, to track …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement December 18, 2013

“Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in October indicates that economic activity is expanding at a moderate pace. Labor market conditions have shown further improvement; the unemployment rate has declined but remains elevated. Household spending and business fixed investment advanced, while the recovery in the housing sector slowed somewhat in recent months. …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Trends in Insurance Coverage and Source of Private Coverage Among Young Adults Aged 19–25

Trends in Insurance Coverage and Source of Private Coverage Among Young Adults Aged 19–25: United States, 2008–2012. Whitney K. Kirzinger, M.P.H.; Robin A. Cohen, Ph.D.; and Renee M. Gindi, Ph.D. Data from the National Health Interview Survey, 2008–2012: The percentage of young adults with private health insurance coverage increased from the last 6 months of 2010 through …

Subjects: Economy, Free Speech, Government Documents, Health Care

Best Places to Work in the Federal Government 2013

“The 2013 Best Places to Work data present a disturbing picture of federal employees throughout the government who are increasingly dissatisfied with their jobs and workplaces. Government-wide, the federal employee job satisfaction and commitment level dropped for the third year in a row, tumbling 3 points to a score of 57.8 on a scale of …

Subjects: Economy, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

CFPB Should Reassess Approach to Integrating Enforcement Attorneys Into Examinations and Enhance Associated Safeguards

Office of Inspector General – Evaluation Report 2013-AE-C-021. The CFPB Should Reassess Its Approach to Integrating Enforcement Attorneys Into Examinations and Enhance Associated Safeguards. December 16, 2013. “The CFPB should determine the appropriate level of enforcement attorney integration into examinations by reassessing the potential risks associated with the practice against the potential benefits and document the results of …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

A Tale of Two Commitments: Equilibrium Default and Temptation

A Tale of Two Commitments: Equilibrium Default and Temptation, Makoto Nakajima, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. December 11, 2013. FRB of Philadelphia Working Paper No. 14-1 “I construct the life-cycle model with equilibrium default and preferences featuring temptation and self-control. The model provides quantitatively similar answers to positive questions such as the causes of the observed rise in debt …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

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