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Friday, April 26, 2013

The Two-Way

Economy Picked Up In First Quarter: Grew At 2.5 Percent Pace

Shoppers came out in the first quarter, pushing up economic growth.

April 26, 2013 Growth was a bit weaker than economists expected, but was well above fourth-quarter 2012's weak 0.4 percent increase. The first-quarter figure is likely to be revised in coming months, perhaps closer to the 3.2 percent growth economists were expecting.

Summary

Thursday, March 28, 2013

The Two-Way

Slow But Better Than Thought: 4th Quarter GDP Revised Up Again

March 28, 2013 The economy grew at a 0.4 percent annual rate in the last three months of 2012, the government estimates. That's better than what economists initially reported.

Summary

Thursday, February 07, 2013

The Two-Way

What Nations Were The Most Forward-Looking In 2012?

The Future Orientation index shows a strong correlation between Internet activity and its gross domestic product. Countries in blue are deemed forward-looking.

February 7, 2013 Germany was the world's most future-oriented country in 2012, followed by Switzerland and Japan, according to the "Future Orientation Index," which is based on Google searches. Scientists say the index is "strongly correlated" to economic health.

Summary

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Two-Way

Economy Shrank At 0.1 Percent Annual Rate In Fourth Quarter

January 30, 2013 The economy had not contracted in any quarter since the spring of 2009. Among the reasons why there wasn't growth in the last three months of 2012: steep cuts in defense spending.

Summary

Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Two-Way

Third-Quarter Economic Growth Revised Upward

Better than expected: Economic growth was higher in the third quarter than first thought. Here, a worker at a Ford plant in Michigan plugs a batter into a Ford C-MAX plug-in hybrid vehicle.

November 29, 2012 Gross domestic product grew at a 2.7 percent annual rate, the government says. Not only is that a sharp upward revision from the previous estimate, it's also growth at twice the rate of the second quarter.

Summary

Friday, October 26, 2012

The Two-Way

Economic Growth Picked Up Slightly In Third Quarter

A GM assembly line in Lansing, Mich.

October 26, 2012 The news is sure to be a hot topic on the campaign trail as President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney push to the Nov. 6 election.

Summary

Friday, July 27, 2012

The Two-Way

Economy Slowed Further In Second Quarter

July 27, 2012 The nation's gross domestic product grew at a 1.5 percent annual rate, the Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates, down from a 2 percent pace in the first quarter.

Summary

Monday, July 16, 2012

Planet Money

How A Bloated Wall Street Can Hurt Growth

Helping or hurting the economy?

July 16, 2012 A too-big financial sector can cause chronic problems, especially for research-dependent industries, concludes an analysis by two economists.

Summary

Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Two-Way

Jobless Claims Dip Only Slightly; First-Quarter GDP Estimate Unchanged

June 28, 2012 Neither of today's economic reports change the picture. They add to evidence of sluggish growth.

Summary

Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Two-Way

Job Growth Slow, Jobless Claims Up, GDP Revised Down

May 31, 2012 The widely watched ADP National Employment Report says just 133,000 jobs were added to payrolls in May. Meanwhile, there were 10,000 more people applying for unemployment benefits last week.

Summary

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Planet Money

The World's Richest Countries And Biggest Economies, In 2 Graphics

promo - GDP

May 30, 2012 The U.S. is the world's biggest economy, but it's not the richest country. China is a huge world power, but it's still quite poor.

Summary

Friday, April 27, 2012

The Two-Way

Economy Grew At 2.2 Percent Rate In First Quarter

April 27, 2012 That's down from the 3 percent pace in fourth-quarter 2011, but is still better than the 1.7 percent growth for all of last year. And there was strong growth in consumer spending — a key driving force for the economy.

Summary

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Planet Money

Why GDP Per Capita Can Start A Bar Fight

bar fight

January 10, 2012 Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic Policy Research, explains why GDP per capita, the total GDP of a country divided by the number of people in the country, is such a controversial measure.

Summary

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Two-Way

Third Quarter Growth Estimate Revised Down Again, To 1.8 Percent

December 22, 2011 While that news points to a still sluggish economy, there's also word of another downward tick in first-time claims for jobless benefits — a welcome sign. Claims are running at their lowest level since the spring of 2008.

Summary

Friday, October 28, 2011

Planet Money

Why GDP Is Like GPA

Are these tomatoes part of GDP? It depends.

October 28, 2011 It's an important indicator, but there's a lot it doesn't tell you.

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