What We’re Reading, 6/6/12

Every morning, we poll the staff and round up their favorite economic, financial and political reads of the day. On our iPads and in our inboxes this morning: further Fed stimulus, the human price of austerity, and the marketing pros/cons of canned and packaged margaritas.

“Fed Considers More Action Amid New Recovery Doubts,” by Jon Hilsenrath (Wall Street Journal). Ben Bernanke & Co. are weighing another round of economic stimulus ahead of their June 19 meeting. There was no such talk at the Fed’s last meeting, when things looked rosier … but in light of Europe’s shenanigans, dour jobs reports, and all the other things we round up here each day, the Fed may make some small, cautionary moves. 

“Save Us, Ben Bernanke, You’re Our Only Hope,” by Matthew O’Brien (The Atlantic). This story is accompanied by a photo of Ben Bernanke as Jedi, which everyone should click to for laughs alone. Beyond that, things get a bit more serious (though, er, no less gimmicky). O’Brien’s argument: The Fed is our last hope to improve the faltering economy, and so far, it’s failed to do so. Manipulating interest rates could help.

“Euro Zone on the Brink,” by Roger Altman (Washington Post). Another day, another flood of bummer news from Europe. Today, Greece is pretty close to running out of cash, Spain tells the world straight-up that it really needs that bail-out, and Germany struggles to figure out just what role it wants to play in the whole ordeal. Altman suspects this is mounting to another bump in the recession, a la the Great Depression relapse of 1937. Fortunately, he has a three-step plan! (That seems simple, doesn’t it?)

“Children Lose to Bailed-Out Bankers as Crisis Forces Cuts,” by Ben Sills and Rodney Jefferson (Bloomberg). In Spain, this is what austerity looks like: crowded emergency rooms and children who can’t get access to crucial medications. In fact, the handicapped and terminally ill are suffering across Europe, where safety nets are falling out from underneath them.

“Senate Republicans Again Block Pay Equity Bill,” by Jennifer Steinhauer (New York Times). The Paycheck Fairness Act fell six votes short of the 60 it needed to pass the Senate yesterday. The law would make it easier for women to sue in instances of gender discrimination — an issue that, incidentally, we take on in the June issue!

“Growing Economic Inequality ‘Endangers Our Future’” (Fresh Air). Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz dropped by the Fresh Air studio to talk lobbying, tax policy and student loans with Terry Gross. Fun fact: He’s largely credited with popularizing the phrase “the 1%,” which we will now never be rid of. 

“The Fortune 400,” by David Cay Johnson (Reuters). Speaking of tax policy and the 1%, six American families with incomes over $200 million (each!) paid no federal income taxes in 2009. Cue the Occupy outrage!

“Most Recent High School Graduates Not in College Lack Full-Time Job, Study Says,” by Bonnie Kavoussi (Huffington Post). Three out of four high school graduates who took the working route do not actually have jobs, according to a sobering new study by Rutgers’ Center for Workforce Development. 

And in other news: Warren Buffett graduated from D.C.’s infamous public schools, New York magazine has some “advice” for Wall Street interns, and a business battle is brewing canned and packaged margaritas. (In a war like this, everybody loses.) Also, the Internet now has 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses (that’s a number?) and Michelle Obama was on Letterman last night. 

What We’re Reading, 6/5/12

Every morning, we poll the staff and round up their favorite economic, financial and political reads of the day. On our agendas this morning: emergency conference calls, Wall Street’s best-paid CEO, and the economics of starting a donut empire.

“G7 Hold Emergency Eurozone Talks,” by Quentin Pell, Peter Spiegel, Guy Dinmore and Mure Dickie (Financial Times). Your friendly curator has never known a conference call to help with much of anything, but finance ministers from the G7 countries convened via phone line today to discuss the European crisis. By all accounts, little came of it. (Surprise!) The same cannot be said of talks between German chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso — Merkel announced in a press conference that Germany will at last allow some wiggle room in pooling European debt. The Central Bank is also dreaming up ways to draw Europe closer together.

“Europe’s Fade Becomes a Drag on Sales for U.S. Companies,” by Nathaniel Popper (New York Times). No one buys Mac Books and Chevys when the proverbial sky is falling down. That, unfortunately, can also impact U.S. companies and their investors: Cisco, Dell, Netapp and a number of other U.S. firms have already reported a drop in European sales.

“Lower Oil Price Offers U.S. Consumers Hope,” by Gregory Meyer and Robin Harding (Financial Times). “Hope” is a word we don’t often see in financial headlines — but oil prices are down 17% in the past month, and that could give both consumers and the overall economy a boost.

“Bitter Wisconsin Recall Race in Voters’ Hands,” by Bob Secter (Chicago Tribune). It’s showdown day in Wisconsin, arguably the most polarized state in the country. If you’re not up on the brutal recall election, AP has an FAQ.

“Wall Street CEO Pay Rises 20% with KKR’s Kravis No. 1,” by Laura Marcinek and Nikolaj Gammeltoft (Businessweek). Henry Roberts Kravis made $30 million last year — which is, for perspective, about 1/26th the value of the entire Tumblrverse. CEOs saw a 20% pay raise overall, down from 26% in 2010. Ah, how the other half lives!

“How Bank of America Execs Hid Losses — In Their Own Words,” by Cora Currier (ProPublica). Shareholders filed suit against Bank of America on Sunday, demanding to know if executives lied about the bank’s losses before it acquired Merrill Lynch in 2008. Lots of skeletons are shaking out, and ProPublica has kindly gathered them up.

“The Last Days of MF Global,” by Peter Elkind and Doris Burke (Fortune). MF Global suffered the eighth-largest bankruptcy in U.S. history … and we couldn’t even put a ranking on the broker’s infamy.

“Don’t Eat Fortune’s Cookie,” by Michael Lewis (Princeton.edu). Alright, we’re veering from finance a bit — but renowned economics writer Michael Lewis will the commencement speech at Princeton today, and his remarks are really worth reading. A sample: “The ‘Moneyball’ story has practical implications. If you use better data, you can find better values; there are always market inefficiencies to exploit, and so on. But it has a broader and less practical message: don’t be deceived by life’s outcomes.”

And in other news: Apple phones will soon lose Google maps, beautiful people really do have it all, and you too can start a donut empire.

What We’re Reading, 6/4/12

Every morning, we poll the staff and round up their favorite economic, financial and political reads of the day. On our radar as the week starts up: economic slowdown, existential crisis, and the many money problems of the ultra-rich and famous.

“Investors Brace for Slowdown,” by Jonathan Cheng, Charles Forelle and E.S. Browning (Wall Street Journal). Well, the week is off to a less-than-thrilling start. Investors are getting antsy as Europe, China and the U.S. show fresh signs of economic turbulence. Just a smattering of the rough market news: Asian markets are down sharply, European stocks slumped last week, and on Friday, the Dow dropped to its lowest point in six months. Happy Monday, everyone!

“Euro Zone is Lurching to a Crossroad,” by Landon Thomas Jr. (New York Times). The euro zone faces an existential crisis of the most massive (and massively expensive) kind. Key to the region’s proverbial angst: Should it seek greater fiscal unity or just break up? While Spanish and Italian leaders called for euro bonds and central authority this weekend, they face political opposition from the likes of Angela Merkel, who hesitates to bail Spain out. (If this is all starting to sound rather dizzying and Game-of-Thrones-esque, the Times has helpful interactive charts on the timeline of the crisis and the players in it.)

“Remarks at the Festival of Economics,” by George Soros (GeorgeSoros.com). While your friendly curator can think of no festival more dull-sounding than the “Festival of Economics” — are there demand-curve roller-coasters? Keynesian funnel cakes? — Soros’ remarks in Trento, Italy are certainly worth a read. The billionaire investor argues, in grandiose TED-talk fashion, that the foundations of economic theory fail to account for human mistakes. Significantly, he also says the eurozone has about three months to right itself. If that seems dense, CNBC has the Spark Notes. 

“The Mayor of Mayors,” by Gabriel Sherman (New York). He banned trans fat! He shrinks your soft drinks! Michael Bloomberg may be the most visible mayor in the U.S., and certainly one of the most controversial — which leads Sherman to the question, where will he go next?

“Who Has the Spine to Fix the U.S. Economy?” By Fred Hiatt (Washington Post). Spoiler alert: No one. “It’s hard to be optimistic,” Hiatt writes. “Obama has the eloquence, but neither Obama as president nor Romney as governor showed much patience for legislative jawboning or relationship-building … It would be nice to think that the forthcoming campaigns will focus on this issue enough to give voters a basis on which to do more than guess. Judging by the debate so far, any optimism on that score seems even more naïve than refusing to give up on a grand bargain in 2013.”

“Small Fish Burned in Facebook IPO Knew Better,” by William Cohan (Bloomberg). Critics railed against Wall Street, Morgan Stanley, Nasdaq, and Facebook itself — but if you fall in Cohan’s camp, small investors who lost big can only blame themselves.

“Life After the NFL a Struggle for Many Former Players,” by Jeffri Chadiha (ESPN). Today in people-we-don’t-feel-very-sorry-for: “Terrell Owens hasn’t officially retired yet, and he already has blown the $80 million he earned during his career. Warren Sapp recently filed for bankruptcy. Former first-round picks Michael Bennett and William Joseph currently face federal charges of tax fraud and identity theft.” Apparently uber-rich ex-athletes can’t manage their millions! Seventy-eight percent of NFL retirees are bankrupt or financially strained.

“Mitt Romney Reports He’s Worth Up to $255 Million,” by Reid Epstein (Politico). In other breaking news, Mitt Romney’s still rich. (More interestingly, Obama’s tax plan would cost him $5 million. Mo’ money mo’ problems, as they say.)

And in other news: Bernie Madoff’s son can’t get an apartment, these moms raised $1.57 million through the school PTA, and Facebook wants to share the joys of social networking with little kids. 

Happy reading, Tumblers!