Sunday, April 22, 2012

6th period: current event due 4/28

Last week, too many of you forgot to post your current event! Remember that doing your homework is an easy and interesting way to boost (or hurt) your grade. This week, please find an article that deals with economics. That should not be too difficult to find...you can look in the money section of any news source. Have fun and I cannot wait to read your findings. Do you current event EARLY in the week. :)

24 comments:

  1. Natalie Bulik-Sullivan, Pd. 6
    Economists: Sluggish recovery here to stay
    Annalyn Censky, CNN
    19 April 2011
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/19/news/economy/economists-recovery/index.htm

    Economists have predicted that the state of the economy will improve less this year than it did during 2011. These predictions were based off of several observations taken from the first quarter of 2012. The have predicted that the unemployment rate in the USA will only decrease by .2% by the end of this year (down to 8%). This value is taken through data collected from people who have searched for jobs in the last month (so it may not be an entirely accurate statistic). The job market is improving, which could cause that estimate to increase as more people apply for positions. In addition, the economy is only improving very slowly, which is hindering job growth. The gross domestic product of this country has improved 2.4% in the last quarter, prompting economists to predict that it will only improve .2% more over the course of 2012. It is thought that the reason for the decrease from the 3% improvement seen in 2011 is due to businesses “stockpiling” goods in 2011, which served to increase economic growth.
    The predictions made by the economists quoted in this article do not seem very optimistic. None of the statistics presented predict a marked increase in the status of our economy, which provides a bleak outlook for the future. However, after finally learning how the unemployment rate is calculated, I am less willing to trust it. As I understand it, the rise and fall of this statistic can be affected by factors that do not necessarily indicate decreases or increases (respectively) in job availability.

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  2. Allie Rives 6th Period
    April 22, 2012
    Where have all the women's jobs gone?
    Tami Luhby, CNN.com
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/19/news/economy/women_jobs/index.htm?iid=HP_LN
    To this day there have been countless Americans finding jobs again, however women aren't the luckiest in this case. "Even though we are seeing some recovery, we have not seen it in a recovery of jobs for women," said Heather Boushey, senior economist at the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Women generally do not face the worst of the job losses in America, but the "slow pace of recovery" has impacted experts logic as to if there will be a rebound for the women anytime soon. According to the National Women's Law Center, women have only rounded up about 283,000 jobs out of the 2.3 million and counting, for their comeback. Along with the many jobs they have lost, women have also suffered from cuts in government aid, resulting in their force to leave their jobs to watch their children. All in all, it is difficult for women especially to find jobs again, as they are represented under men in the workforce and America is currently not economically stable.
    Throughout this article, I have learned it is truly challenging for women to find jobs again after and within the recession. As mentioned earlier in the article by Michael Montogomery that the government is not going to add lots of jobs anytime soon; I am unsure as to how I stand concerning that comment. I understand it costs a lot of money to put jobs out there, however if people need those jobs to support themselves, their family and to get the necessary government aid, then that action should be taken. Granted I am not an economist, however I do understand the reason it would not be smart to add jobs; it would take a lot of money and lead to America going farther in to debt. This definitely is a touchy subject to many, that's why I hope to hear more about it and for some positive solution to come out of this.

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  3. Anna Zhang 6th
    Paying for College: Two Websites Offer Outside-of-the-Box Ideas
    By Bruce Watson 4/19/12
    Daily Finance
    http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/04/19/paying-for-college-two-websites-offer-outside-of-the-box-ideas/

    Although there have been tuition payment proposals to lessen the financial burden of college, the reforms mostly target future college students. Current students are still desperately trying to pay off their loans. Some have resorted to selling their face for advertising or majoring in petroleum engineering. A problem in this payment process is that students often do not understand just how much they have to pay to go to college. Many of them actually qualify for financial aid, but are simply not aware of it. Alltuition is a way recommended by some universities to vaguely estimate your overall, total cost for college. Some companies are also helping lessen the financial burden on students. CollegeNET offers weekly scholarships ranging from 3,000 to 10,000. At first glance it may seem like a traditional essay contest. However, it differs from the conventional by having the essays judged by other student participants. "We've given students the power to control the scholarship process, as well as the opportunity to develop journalistic awareness and skill," Jim Wolfston, CEO of CollegeNET explains.

    I was really surprised by the creative ways that students are taking to earn money. I mean, loaning out your face for advertisement. It sounds funny, but it’s actually kind of sad isn’t it? College students are getting really desperate. I’m glad there are companies out there that are trying to help by offering scholarships. At least it gives them a slight chance without having to wear a McDonald’s tattoo or something on their face.

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  4. Arjun Raghavan
    6th Period
    Oil company shares fall with oil prices
    Associated Press in New York (No author specified)
    Yahoo! News - Business
    http://news.yahoo.com/oil-company-shares-fall-oil-prices-201931548--finance.html

    The shares of stocks on oil companies fell on Monday, April 23rd. Economists say there are two main reasons for this trend. One of the reasons is that overall oil prices have fallen, suggesting that the oil prices will be less profitable. Another reason that the economists indicate is that the shares have fallen due to news that some parts of Europe are back in a recession. An exception to the falling of shares in oil companies is the share of Exxon Mobil Corp. whose shares have gone up slightly, possibly due to an analysts prediction that this corporation has the assets needed to endure any dip in oil prices.

    I feel that this is a very interesting topic. Although I don't really have an opinion on the act of buying stocks, I do feel that it is interesting to see what are the reasons behind why people buy more and less of certain stocks. I feel that the oil companies need to regroup at this time in order to work their way through the lowering of oil prices. The European economy will also hopefully improve if all the government's economy moves are carefully thought out. Also, hopefully people don't make rash decisions regarding these oil company shares and fall in to any problems in the future.

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  5. David Hicks (I gon dun ded it), 6th Period
    Netflix plunges on sales outlook
    By Julianne Pepitone, CNNMoney
    19 April 2011
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/23/technology/netflix-earnings/index.htm

    Despite Netflix having passed their predicted income, they are still on a downward spiral due to their stock plunging on investors outlooks. Last quarter, they lost 8 cents on 870 million in sales, up from the predicted 27 cents on 866 million. After hours however, the stock lowered by 15% due to investors disappointments in predicted outcomes. An upbeat report came from the first quarter however, reporting that 1.7 million people ordered service relatively quickly. The CEO of Netflix reported that everything is as reported, and that no one should be surprised at the reports. Overseas streaming gained 1.2 million subscribers, but 1.1 US DVD subscribers ended up dropping the service. The losses are due to high content costs, according to Netflix.
    Honestly, I could care less. Economics bore me but I suppose Netflix is at least something I can relate to. If I were part of Netflix, I would try to keep it a national company, MAYBE extending to canada. They just don’t seem to have very much chance for profit in the UK, or any other international countries for that matter. They didn’t necesarily do anything wrong, but an “almost free” DVD rental system just doesn’t seem profitable for studios who make movies. This extends to television producers as well, $8 for every episode on demand can potentially harm their profits (through advertising/viewership) by a significant amount. This relates to what we’re doing in class because we are learning about economic trends.

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  6. Carly Narotsky, 6th period
    Lottery Winners: What to Do With Your Multimillion-Dollar Windfall
    By Rich Smith, The Motley Fool
    04/19/12
    Daily Finance
    http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/04/19/lottery-winners-what-to-do-with-your-multimillion-dollar-windfa/

    Some people argue against the ethics of the the lottery, some going so far as to say that it is a tax on the mathematically impaired. Others argue that the intentions of the lottery are good. For example, most money of the money left over that doesn’t go to the winners is given to public schools. Although we often hear stories of lottery winners making poor choices and losing all their winnings, one positive story that the article highlights is three teachers pooled their money together to buy several lottery tickets, and one of them ended up being the winning ticket. Since winning, they have of course indulged in things like nice vacations, but all three are continuing to teach and are investing the bulk of the money. Useful advice to everyone looking to invest their money is to set some in a “rainy day fund” bank account that can’t lose value, invest some in stocks (with many different companies in case one of them tanks), and maybe some in individual stocks because they give you the chance of bringing in more than 10% of what you invested.
    Although the story of the three teachers that won the lottery together is nice, I don’t think it represents what usually happens to lottery winners. Maybe that’s unfair and there are a lot of people who manage their winnings wisely and don’t let themselves wade in their wealth. But that typical story of lottery winners that lose their winnings within a few years or become excessively greedy is a story I have heard too many times. I automatically assume that is the fate of most lottery winners, and maybe that’s unfair. I like that this article advises people how to manage their money wisely, and because I’m sixteen years old and don’t know what to do with large sums of money, I have to assume that it’s good advice.

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  7. Kaitlin Jones, Period 6
    Federal reserve sees economy improving
    April 25, 2012
    By Annalyn Censky
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/25/news/economy/federal-reserve-policy/index.htm?iid=SF_E_LN

    The Federal Reserve predicts an improvement in the economy and unemployment rate by the end of the year. They anticipate the economy to grow between 2.4% and 2.9% as opposed to last year’s growth of 1.7%. They also anticipate that the unemployment rate will drop to between 7.8% and 8%, as opposed to the current 8.2% unemployment rate. Although the short-term economic growth seemed promising, the Federal Reserve members lowered their forecasts for economic growth in 2013 and 2014. They say that the economy will remain weak enough to warrant low interest rates “at least through 2014”.

    I think that it is encouraging that they predict economic growth this year. It seems that all we ever talk about is how bad the economy is and it’s nice to see a change for once and hear about something positive. I hope that their predictions are wrong about the economic growth for 2013 and 2014, and that it grows more than they think it will. I also think its encouraging that the unemployment rate is dropping, but as I talked about in my current event last week, this could just be because more people are giving up altogether on looking.

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  8. Tim Bogan, 6th Period
    The Wal-Mart Dilemma: When Is A Payment A Bribe?
    by SCOTT NEUMAN
    4/25/12
    NPR News
    http://tinyurl.com/7hgr4yc

    Reports of Wal-Mart officials allegedly paying local Mexican authorities to speed up permits to build new stores may result in enormous financial penalties. Legal experts doubt it will ever come to trial due to violation of a U.S. anti-corruption law. The alleged activity was publicized by the New York Times and Time magazine, and Wal-Mart immediately saw a large spike in stock loss. The reports stated that Wal-Mart executives in Mexico authorized payments to Mexican government officials in exchange for expedited zoning and construction permits. A 1977 law called the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohibits companies of the United States to operate overseas by bribing local government officials.

    I think it is sad that a multibillion dollar company like Wal-Mart has to resort to bribery simply to have permission to erect a store faster. Taking into account that the United States is currently not a state of economic success, it would be worse for a large company to have to suffer penalties of breaking a law than not being able to put up a few new stores in addition to their massive amounts of locations in the states. Although experts suspect this will not escalate to be a large problem, I would like to see Wal-Mart take responsibility for their actions if ever so slightly.

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  9. Crescentia Cho
    Economists upping their forecasts for 2012
    Tim Mullaney and Barbara Hansen, USA TODAY
    April 15, 2012
    http://www.cecurrenteventsblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/6th-period-current-event-due-54.html#comment-form

    According to the quarterly surgery of economists, the economy of the United States is expected to improve even though the gas prices are high. Economists thought that because of the high gas prices, people would be shopping and eating out less, but it has done the opposite. An average of 185,000 new jobs were created a month through December. Therefore the unemployment rate was 8.2% but now because of the improving economy it has improved to 8%. The improvement of the economy could influence the re-election of President Obama. The biggest threat right now is what Congress may decide to do after the election because tax cuts will expire and spending cuts are supposed to happen.

    I think that it is a really good thing that the economy is gradually improving. I would have thought too that high gas prices would hurt the economy, but it has done the opposite which is good. The less unemployment rate is really good for the country as a whole because that means that more money is brought into the economy. I am also wondering what Congress will do. I hope that they see the improving economy now and make only small changes, not dramatic, influential ones.

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  10. Mikko Rich-Voorhees, 6th
    BBC poll finds wide spread view of ‘Economic Unfairness’, Andrew Walker
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17847372
    BBC took a poll concerning economic unfairness as viewed by the people. 17 of the 22 countries that were surveyed had a majority of the people believing the economic benefits and burdens in their country were not being evenly distributed among the population. Spain’s population believed they were being cheated the most, with about 90% of the people asked claiming that the economy was unfair towards all of its citizens. Since the question had been asked in 2009, the numbers have grown, fro instance in India it has grown about 15% and 13% in the USA. Although most places say that these issues could be fixed through regulation, there is no agreed upon alternative.
    This relates to class, because it directly discusses how the people feel about the economy around them, and how they think it could be fixed. There was support for new ideas such as free market capitalism as an alternative to the current system in a few of these countries, so the people want more liberties over their economy. I was surprised to see the high numbers for the people’s belief about their economies fairness, but more so the increase since the last survey taken three years earlier.

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  11. Colin Bergey 6th
    Gas Prices Seen Headed Lower At The Pump
    by Steve Hargreaves
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/26/markets/gas-prices/index.htm?iid=HP_LN
    Gas prices have been very high this year, almost reaching 5 dollars a gallon at some points. Although, gas prices have started to fall in April and they are expected to continue to fall in the summer. Bigger drops in gas prices are expected to show at the pumps in the next couple of weeks. The main reason for this drop is that the futures for crude oil have dropped recently. These drops could be a direct result of a slowing global economy and tension in Iran over its nuclear program.
    This relates to our class because prices are usually a result of supply and demand. I think this drop in oil prices will help a lot of families save money this summer. I was somewhat surprised by this drop, I would have thought tensions in the Middle East would make the prices higher.

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  12. Julian Wilson
    6th Period
    Amazon’s Profit Declines 35% but Tops Expectations by Nick Wingfield
    The New York Times
    April 26, 2012
    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/technology/amazon-profit-dropped-35-percent.html?_r=1&ref=business

    This article is about Amazon’s stocks and their stockholders. It talked about how they had a 35% drop in profit from last year. The interesting part about this was that even though their profit was a lot lower, it was significantly higher than people had expected. The reason it was lower is because of all the money they spent on new products like the Kindle Fire and making new shipping centers. Because the profit was higher than expected, there was a significant raise in stocks after it was announced. Apparently, Amazon typically does new things and expands its base by spending money on new products rather than saving that money for investors. Amazon hopes to get a huge payout in the future, and keeps building up to that. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, says that they would rather reach a lot of people than give more to a few people. This is significant because a lot if not all of us use Amazon and its services, and certainly know people that do, and it is a part of our economy as a whole.
    I actually thought this article was pretty interesting, because I have used Amazon before, and my mom does a lot. She has an Amazon Prime membership, and I was excited to find out from this article that Amazon has a Netflix-like service free for members of Amazon Prime, so I will definitely try that out. I am curious to see how their profit changes and if it increases now and if the stocks change with that. I am also curious to find out if any of their plans for a big payout in the future actually pan out.

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  13. Ashley Powell
    6th period
    Starbucks Sales in China Contributes to Earnings Rise
    The New York Times
    April 26, 2012
    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/business/starbucks-earnings-increase-18.html

    Starbucks has recorded extremely high earnings for this quarter. Most of the reason that Starbucks has been doing so well is because of their increased sales in China. The revenue from China had increased more than 20% for the last 7 quarters in a row. Starbucks has talked about how thankful they are for the increased revenue because of the increased cost of coffee the past two years. They said that the increase has cost them an extra $500 million.
    I believe that it is always a good thing to see companies thriving. I would like to see that this is happening because of american participation though. This just shows how China's economy is doing better than ours and I would like to see that change in the near future.

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  14. Ryan Castellano Period 6
    Obama Challenges Congress on Student Loans in Speech at UNC
    News 14 Carolina, 4/24/12
    http://triad.news14.com/content/top_stories/656663/obama-challenges-congress-on-student-loans-in-speech-at-unc

    Obama spoke to UNC students a few days ago about the government maybe doubling the interest rate they put on student loans. This would make getting an education much harder to pay for and many people would not go to college. The proposed interest would double from 3.4% to 6.8% in early July if nothing is done to stop it. Obama wants college education to be affordable for everyone so that the US can continue to be a role model in education and produce the best successful students. Around 160,000 students in North Carolina would be affected by this change. He told the gathered students that a degree is a very important thing that you can do for your future and you should strive for the highest education opportunity.

    This is a very important issue, especially in the struggling state of our economy. Many students unfortunately, would be unable to pay for college with the doubled interest. The young adults are not as rich as the senators in today’s congress. Unfortunately the senators do not understand that. The government is trying to raise interest rates to reduce the debt. This is important to economics and shows how the government has a huge role in our lives; many people now might not be able to attend college. I agree with Obama that everyone should have a chance to go to college and this minimizes the chances of many young adults. The government needs to reduce debt, and this is a way to do that, but a minimal increase to 4% could still produce income and give time to see how an increase affects college students. This increase in interest rates will hurt many people if the bill is passed.

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  15. Natalie Ragazzo
    Gas prices seen headed lower at the pump
    by Steve Hargreaves
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/26/markets/gas-prices/index.htm?iid=HP_River

    Earlier in the year there were rumors of gas prices reaching $5.00 by the beginning of the upcoming summer. These rumors seem to be false according to the recent drop in gas prices. At the start of April gas at the pump was a hefty $3.40 per gallon and has now dropped down to about $3.10 in New York. In the upcoming weeks we should begin to see a slow drop in the prices . The biggest reason for the dropping in prices is because the cost of brent crude and other crude oils have dropped in prices. Brent crude oil has dropped from being over $125 to now under $120. Another reason for the decrease is the tensions with Iran are lessening.
    I am very pleased to hear about the dropping of gas prices. Gas is a necessity for most people. People rely on it to get to places they have to go or to work at their jobs. Without it many peoples' lives would be much more difficult, therefore it should be cheaper so people can afford it. It's difficult to do things when you can't afford to get places. Especially since I am getting my license soon and I am not looking forward to having to pay for my gas.

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  16. Laura Sullivan
    Period 6th
    Date: April 26, 2012
    Gas Prices Seen Headed Lower At The Pump
    By: Steve Hargreaves
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/26/markets/gas-prices/index.htm?iid=HP_LN
    Gas prices at some points have almost reached five dollars per gallon, but this April gas prices have started to drop and they look like they will continue to drop this summer too. Analysts say we should start seeing drops in gas prices in the next few weeks. The reason for this is the declining cost of crude oil that gasoline is made from. Crude oil costs have dropped prices mainly because of tension easing with Iran over its nuclear program.
    This relates to what we are doing in class because prices are a factor in the supply and demand curves. I will be interested to see if prices do drop, and by how much, by this summer. I think that a drop in gasoline prices will definitely benefit many families.

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  17. Maddie McNeal
    “Wal-Mart shares take hit after bribery allegations”
    Chicago Tribune
    April 23, 2012
    http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-23/news/chi-walmart-shares-take-hit-after-bribery-allegations-20120423_1_wal-mart-shares-wal-mart-stores-walmex

    As an investigation into the allegations made against Wal-Mart begins the shares fell 4.5 percent. The allegations are that Wal-Mart was involved in bribing the Mexican affiliates. The FCPA or Foreign Corrupt Practices Act makes bribing foreign government officials illegal. Wal-Mart has since given its probe to the U.S. Wal-Mart had said that they were taking more steps into their Mexican branch known as Walmex. However, it appears that the bribes were several years ago and were then brought to the manager’s attentions. In 2005 a Wal-Mart lawyer said that the bribing was used to speed the store openings in Mexico. Wal-Mart sent investigators to Mexico City but they were shutdown due to the company leaders who hid everything. If these allegations are in fact true they will badly hurt not only the company, but also the management.
    It’s completely wrong for a business to bribe foreign political leaders. That goes against so much of what America stands for. Their shares will no matter what go down. It is shocking to hear something lie this happen. You never realize it can happen to you until it does. Wal-Mart is in a big mess if these allegations are in fact proven to be true. If Wal-Mart goes under it will affect our economy as a whole greatly.

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  18. Camden Van Ord
    Gas Prices Seen Headed Lower at the Pump
    Steve Hargreaves, CNN
    April 27, 2012
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/26/markets/gas-prices/index.htm?iid=SF_E_River

    By summer time, gas prices were expected to be at $5 a gallon due to constant increases since the beginning of the year. However, in the past month gas prices have been plummeting. In about 20 days, prices per gallon have gone from $3.40 on average to $3.10. This is a national average, and in many place it has been much more, like our area. These changes are expected to be seen at the pumps in the next few weeks. They are also expected to keep dropping until the summer. This drop is due to ease of tension with Iran over their nuclear program. Brent crude oil has dropped from over $125 to under $120.

    I chose this article because gasoline prices are something that people are always concerned about. They are constantly fluctuating and because it is such a necessity, people pay attention to this subject. It's always good to see gas prices drop, especially because we're approaching the summer where prices are always raised. I think this is very good because soon I myself will be on the road and would hope that gas prices are low. It was also interesting to read that this drop is due to relaxed tensions with Iran. It's cool to see that our political and foreign affairs affect things like this back home.

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  19. Nate Hebert 6th Period
    Amazon, Expedia soar after earnings
    Martin Wolk, MSN
    April 28, 2012
    http://marketday.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/27/11429622-amazon-expedia-soar-after-earnings?lite

    Amazon.com during midday trading was up 25 dollars or 13 percent. Expedia, the online travel agency was also up by 28 percent at 41.69 dollars. This great increase was unexpected due to the company’s quarterly loss of 3.3 million dollars. One of the losers was Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, which fell 43 percent to 9 dollars a share. It is reported that the company fired their chairman and three other directors resigned in protest. Among the losers was also Callaway Golf Co., which dropped 16 percent. Procter & Gamble, one of the Dow industrials, was down 3 percent. The Dow ended up up 30 points by the end of the day.

    I find it interesting that the businesses on the Internet have gone up recently compared to the ones that are not. I think this shows that people are becoming lazier and are refusing to leave the house when they shop. On the other hand it is very convenient to shop online and I believe that that area will continue to do well. This has to do with what we are talking about in class because we are about to start a stock market project in class.

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  20. Gabe Foster: 6th period
    Spain’s Jobless Rate Hits Record High
    Aaron Smith CNNMoney
    4/27/12
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/27/news/economy/spain-jobs-growth/index.htm?iid=HP_LN
    The Spanish government has recently reported that its jobless rate has almost reached 25%. At 24.4% it is the highest it has been in many years and is expected to keep climbing. No new jobs are really being created even though the government is trying to. Spain’s GDP is expected to shrink by 1.5% this year and another half a percent next year. Spain’s main business is tourism which has taken huge hit. People have less money and are not travelling as much as they were which is one of the main causes for the loss of jobs and economy shrinkage.
    Spain seems to be in a huge mess and I have no idea how they’re going to get out of it. I think they need to find a bigger industry to support themselves on. The other thing I learned from this article is I’m glad I don’t live in Spain. This article makes me feel better about our own country’s economic status. We are not doing to great but at least more than 75% of people here are employed. Our economy seems to be creating jobs and becoming a little stronger as well.

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  21. Katie Mimmack pd 6
    What America Owes in Student Loans by Lam Thuy Vo
    npr.org on 4/23
    http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/04/18/150909686/what-america-owes-in-student-loans

    Today, student loans make up one of the largest debts in America, greater than that of credit cards and auto loans. Although student debt has been rising steadily over the past few years, it is not due to students borrowing more money, but rather more students going to college. Although the average debt per student is rising as well, it is not very much at all compared to the rise in total student debt. While the average debt for public school graduates is around $12000, students graduating from private schools hold around $18000 in debt. These figures are for people graduating with a Bachelor’s degree, and there are many students who have much less and much more debt than the averages can properly depict.

    In my opinion, colleges across America are far too expensive. In countries like Canada, college only costs around $2000 per year to attend, far less than tuition in America. Many people go uneducated because they cannot afford to pay for the high expense of college, and se are left with a more uneducated population. I think it’s good that the situation is improving and that more people are seeking higher education, but if students can’t pay their outrageous debts, our country will either fold in on itself and explode or we will all wither and die in poverty. This has to do with what we are studying in class because it’s about money, and I wish the article had shown the full range, with minimum and maximum amounts, of student debt rather than just giving averages.

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  22. Grant DeSelm 6th period
    Growth in the US economy falls back in first quarter
    Multiple authors
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17870921

    In the final quarter of last year, the US economic growth was around 3%. Today, the numbers came out and they weren't looking too good. The annualized pace is currently 2.2% which is even farther down from the economists' estimates of 2.5%. The losses would have been even greater if the car market had not supported the growth figure a substantial amount. Also, there were many consumer spending booms in the last quarter due to holidays and new motor vehicle technology. The US central bank, the Federal Reserve, said this week it was "happy with its current policy," although there is speculation that the bank may undertake a third round of quantitative easing.
    Yo yo, I think this is pretty cool. The US economy is super chill and continues to go up. People need things and that’s why I invested all my stocks in toilet paper. People need that; what people don't really need but is nice is new technology, which created a slight increase in the 4th quarter of 2011. The economy will stabilize and will rise back up as the year goes on.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Emma Beck
    Per 6
    $600,000 in debt, planning to be a stay at home mom.
    By Vanessa Richardson
    http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/27/pf/mortgage-debt.moneymag/index.htm?iid=Lead
    cnn.com

    The couple Andrea Beck and Donald Yap are getting married and July. When they get married they both want to immediately have kids but Andrea would like to be a stay at home mom. They are however in debt. The couple is worried that without the extra income they might not be able to retire at 55 when they would like to. They also own a house and a condo at the moment with steady renters so that adds to their monthly income. They have been advised to keep the house and condo because who knows what he housing market will do next.


    I think it is smart for them to keep the house and condo. I would do the same thing, epically with the housing market going back up. I also think that it is not a smart idea to drop their income by so much. I think that it would make more since if Andrea were to be a part time worker. Andrea could also take a leave of absence so that she could stay home with the baby until it gets a little older and then when she feels conferrable go back to work. Ultimately I think that this is no ones business but theirs and it shouldn’t be in the paper.

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  24. John Morales, 6th Period
    Fed: Economy growing moderately; no policy changes
    By Martin Crutsinger
    Source: Bloomberg Businessweek
    Publishing Date: 4-25-12

    On Wednesday in Washington, The Federal Reserve said the economy is growing but cautioning risks still remain from Europe. In a two-day meeting the Fed said the economic growth should "pick up gradually" because the job market has improved but unemployement is still elevated. The Fed is stuck with a plan that is considering to keep a short-term rate near zero until 2014. In doing this the Fed is trying to get purchases off of treasury bonds to lower down long-term interest and the objective is to encourage lending and spending. Since the raise of the dollar, many critics have stated concerns that the central bank has raised a higher risk of inflation. David Jones, chief economist at DMJ Advisors, along with Ben Bernanke are hoping for a bonding program while Jeffrey Lacker the president of the Richmond Fed opposed this target. Friday the government will estimate the economic growth for January-March, many economists are predicting an annual growth rate of 2.5%, which is better than they had expected when the year had began.
    I think that its a good idea however too much of a loan could be a risk. The growth rate is rising therefore this plan could possibly work and be progressive. Knowing the economy is growing there should be a limit to loans.

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