How low can America grow? | Free exchange | Economist.com
A question I have been pondering is whether slow GDP growth combined with high inflation actually means that negative GDP growth. In other words, with GDP growing around .2% and the price level at around 4%, is the US actually experiencing negative real GDP growth of -3.8%? According to this blog post, NO:
"it's not true that high inflation means real output growth is negative, since the GDP figure quoted is itself a real figure. (Although many observers, like Barry Ritholtz, believe that official inflation numbers are understating inflation). But discussions about whether a recession might be u-, or v-, or curlicue-shaped seem a bit off at the moment. Instead, the economy is essentially flatlining just a hair above zero growth. "
more fromwww.economist.com
CPI Inflation Calculator
This is a cool little tool for calculating the rate of inflation. Plug in any two years and see how much "buying power" a dollar had in one year relative to another. Great for illustrating Consumer Price Index. From http://www.bls.gov/CPI/
more fromdata.bls.gov
Need to know - Times Online
Facts and figures everyone needs to know about the economy in this time of economic hardship. (there are five pages, be sure to click through to read them all!)
more frombusiness.timesonline.co.uk
BBC NEWS | Business | Oil price 'may hit $200 a barrel'
200 oil? Oh my! It seems like just yesterday everyone was speculating oil would ever reach $100, now some say it could hit $200 within six months! The primary culprit? China, where continued growth in output is expected to push energy prices ever higher
more fromnews.bbc.co.uk
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