Latest news with #Economics
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Fed's Daly Says Still Comfortable With Two Rate Cuts in 2025
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly said she was still comfortable with projections the Fed released in March showing officials expect to lower interest rates twice before the end of the year. 'We want to keep the policy rate modestly restrictive for now until we are sure that inflation is going to hit that 2% target,' Daly said Friday during an interview with Fox Business. 'So I'm still comfortable with the Summary of Economic projections, which we put up in December and in March, that said two rate cuts seem like a good forecast.'
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Colm O'Regan: I'd like to bring some mini-subjects to the Leaving Cert — how about Cop On and Driver Etiquette?
The first Wednesday after the June bank holiday. That date is indelibly printed on my mind. The Leaving Cert timetable is one of those understated design classics. A tall page with the department logo on the top of it. LEAVING CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION in bold, along with the small print, in stern Times New Roman. Give or take a few subjects, the pattern is the same. Familiar subjects at the start, mad wans at the end. I still look at it and see where the gaps are and think about where I might get some last-minute stuff done. Exam experts will say not to rely on last-minute cramming but I find in the cold sweat of panic, I get a certain clarity that was lacking in the previous six years. Some legends have no gaps. They've picked their subjects to be done within a week. They're in Santa Ponsa on the first Tuesday evening while everyone else is opening their classical studies book for the first time. They did Home Ec, Engineering, Biology, and Geography. These are the kind of people who like intensity and variety and being finished in a record time. They're probably doing Hyrox. I was in the middle — a 10-day basic bitch. I look down through the mad wans that I never did. The mysterious 'third week' subjects, out into the June 20s. In my day there were rumours about ones that were handy for the points. Apparently, Agricultural Economics or Classical Studies that you could pretty much start the course after your second last exam and still fly it. Someone's brother did it and apparently got an A. This year, the final exam is on Tuesday, June 24. While all their friends are out earning and driving lorries, spare a thought for those doing Japanese, Politics and Society, Religious Education, or Applied Mathematics. I know there have to be clashes but what if you wanted to do all of these? It's like they are trying to prevent people from becoming podcast hosts. Into this crowded mix I'd like to bring some mini-subjects. Little halflings that give a lot of bang for their buck. One-hour exams, two subjects for the points of one. How about: Cop On as a subject? This is not a slight on young people. It's more a reflection on the luadramans you meet later in life and wonder: Could they have done with a course in Cop On at a crucial moment? There would be modules on driver etiquette, how not to drive up my hole, acknowledging when someone lets you out. Indicators. Also, developing much-needed skills like: Is this news story you're about to share in the family WhatsApp actually real, or are you just doing Putin's job for him for free? Another half subject could be on nostalgia. The generation gap needs to be closed. Not for the sake of the kids but for us. The nostalgia generation who spend ages just remembering things and asking others if they also recall them. They say the Leaving Cert has to prepare you for life. Well, one of the things you'll be doing in life is working with older colleagues. You will be a much better colleague if you haven't insulted the Gen Xer next to you by not knowing what a landline is. Modules could include hitchhiking, taping off the radio, missing programmes, and how to plug in dial-up. Education is about society, let's bring us closer together. How about an extra history module on scandals? We get so fatigued by all the chicanery, we forget all the various scandals. Students study history, and they might specialise in a particular area but need to learn from the troubles of the past and break the cycle of bicycle sheds, voting machines, and robot trees. Whatever your choices, best of luck to all!
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Fed's Barkin Says Data Show US on Same Trajectory as Last Year
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Tom Barkin says the recent economic data show the US is on the same trajectory as the last year or two on "Bloomberg Open Interest." (Source: Bloomberg)
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
China relaxed about Trump's tariff threat
Business editor Michael Janda says RBA deputy governor Andrew Hauser reveals a graph in his speech showing America is far more dependent on China.
National Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Adam Zivo: Housing minister says unaffordable homes are the answer
Canada's new housing minister Gregor Robertson says that the prices of existing homes shouldn't go down, lest this negatively impact current homeowners, and that affordable housing should be provided through massive government subsidies instead. His position is economically illiterate and raises concerns about his fitness to lead this portfolio. Article content Article content Anyone with a cursory understanding of economics knows that, in a regular market, the price of any given commodity will be roughly the same for both the buyer and seller. If you want people to have the option of purchasing $3 coffee, for example, you need cafes that are willing to sell coffee for $3 as well. While these dynamics are sometimes distorted — i.e. through taxes and subsidies — this is, for the most part, how transactions work. Article content Article content So if you want the Canadian housing market to become more affordable for buyers, it naturally follows that sellers will have to accept lower prices, which, for existing homeowners, means that the value of their properties must decline. This is an obvious point that is well-understood throughout the political spectrum. Article content Article content Yet, on his first day on the job, upon being asked whether prices need to go down, Robertson said 'no' and advocated for delivering more government-subsidized 'affordable housing' instead. He later clarified on X that his opposition is rooted in the fact that, for most Canadians, their current home 'is their most valuable asset.' Canada is in the throes of an unprecedented housing bubble that has been stoked by two decades of bad government policies. Prices have doubled since the early 2000s, after adjusting for inflation, thanks to red tape that throttles the construction of new homes and guarantees persistent market shortages. Those who bought early — meaning older Canadians — made huge sums of money at the expense of younger Canadians and newcomers, who will be stuck purchasing these overvalued assets. Article content Article content It is now extraordinarily difficult for Canadians to buy their first property in major markets without parental aid or an inheritance. In cities like Toronto and Vancouver, it takes over a decade to save for the minimum downpayment of an average home, even if you make $100,000 a year and save 10 per cent of your gross income. The problem is so dire that some have characterized Canada as an emerging 'neofeudal' society where homeownership is predominantly a hereditary privilege. Article content
