Economic Policy News
The Daily Signal provides economic policy news with reporting, analysis, and commentary on markets, growth, and fiscal responsibility.
-
Bankruptcies Soaring Amid Worrisome Inflationary Economic Pressures
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of the accompanying video from professor Peter St. Onge. Small-business bankruptcies are up 61% on the year. It is a cackle-nomics miracle. The data comes from bankruptcy analyst Epiq, which reports that commercial filings for Chapter 11 bankruptcies soared to 4,553 so far this year. Meanwhile, total…Peter St. Onge -
Experts, Media Got It Wrong: The Economy Is in Far Worse Shape Than We Thought
The government, for the past year, has overstated joblessness by 818,000 jobs. That revision comes on top of the monthly revisions already made. It is probably not a conspiracy to help Joe Biden and Kamala Harris look good or they would have waited until after the election, not before early voting, to announce the revision….Erick Erickson -
The College Graduates’ Presidential Candidate Doesn’t Know Economic History
Learning isn’t necessarily cumulative. Human experience over the centuries provides lessons, some clearer than others. But each generation has to learn lessons anew, and some do not. The lessons about economic growth taught over the long run of history are clear. Growth is not inevitable, and while riches may be accumulated, or appropriated, by the…Michael Barone -
American Peronism: Kamala Harris’ Economic Plan to Ruin the US
Price controls, higher taxes, government intervention, and subsidies paid for by printing a constantly devalued currency. These are the essential pillars of “21st-century socialism” and of the radical left ideology of Peronism that obliterated Argentina. These are also the main elements of the economic plan presented by Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party. Undoubtedly, this…Daniel Lacalle -
Kamala Harris Gains Americans’ Confidence on Economy, Poll Shows
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Americans trust Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump to handle the economy despite most having a poor view of the Biden-Harris administration’s economic policies, a new August poll finds. By a slim margin, Democratic presidential nominee Harris leads Republican nominee Trump at 42% compared to 41%, despite nearly half of…Jaryn Crouson -
Japan’s Population Implosion Is an Economic Time Bomb
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of the accompanying video from professor Peter St. Onge. Japan is running out of people. It will get worse—and we’re next. Last week, Japan’s government announced the country lost 861,000 people last year as the country’s fertility rate—the average number of babies a woman is expected to…Peter St. Onge -
Owner of Home Remodeling Business Tells GOP Delegates About Economic Hardships
The owner of a home remodeling business described the financial stress that the economy has put on Americans, including himself, in remarks Monday night at the Republican National Convention. “During the Trump boom, we were thriving. Under Biden, we are surviving,” declared Benjamin Josephn told a convention hall audience in Milwaukee that included former President…Olivia Pero -
Poll: Economic Issues Top Voter Concerns in This Swing State
Economic issues dominate the list of top concerns for Pennsylvania voters ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, a new poll finds. A quarter of voters in the swing state ranked “inflation/cost of living” as the No. 1 issue facing Pennsylvanians in a survey released Tuesday from the Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative-libertarian think tank in…Hudson Crozier -
Wrecking the American Dream: The Problem With Today’s Economy
Our economic leadership often is discussed by way of dollars, but it’s about much more than that. It’s about the well-being of the American people. The economy has one purpose—to organize our labors to produce the goods and services that households need and desire. After all, the root word of economics refers to the household,…Richard Stern -
US Economy in Worse Shape Than Economists Thought
The U.S. economy grew less than previously thought in the first quarter of 2024 amid a slowdown in consumer spending, the Bureau of Economic Analysis announced Thursday. Gross domestic product was revised down in the first quarter from 1.6% to 1.3% year-over-year in a sign that the economy is not as strong as initial estimates…Will Kessler -
Majority of Americans Think US Economy Is in Recession and Shrinking, Poll Finds
A majority of Americans believe that the U.S. is currently in a recession, blaming the Biden administration for harsh economic conditions, according to research firm The Harris Poll. Around 56% of people surveyed thought that the U.S. economy was in recession, and 55% thought that the economy was shrinking, according to a poll conducted for The Guardian….Will Kessler -
Yikes! Perilous Economy for First-Time Homebuyers
Buying a home is a cornerstone of the American dream, a dream that is further out of reach today for many Americans. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the median sales price of a new, single-family home was $416,300 in May 2023. In 1985, it was $84,300. Yes, income has increased, but…Virginia Allen -
A Lesson for America: Green Policies Crush German Economy
Germany’s gross domestic product has been falling since the third quarter of 2022, causing fears of the first 2-yearlong recession since the early 2000s. German farmers are openly protesting new climate regulations that would raise the price of diesel fuel, vital for tractors and farm machinery. This discontent is mirrored by the general public, which…Diana Furchtgott-Roth -
Feds Shell Out Thousands on Computer Lessons for LGBTQ Refugees, Fostering ‘Economic Inclusion’ in Latin America
The federal government has used taxpayer dollars to fund services for LGBTQ refugees in Latin America over the past couple of years, federal grants show. The State Department and the Inter-American Foundation, an independent federal agency, funded a trio of grants between August 2021 and October 2023 aimed at bolstering Costa Rica’s status as a haven for…Robert Schmad -
Economic Freedom in US Falls to Lowest Level in 30 Years in 2024 Global Index
The foundations of economic freedom have been declining around the world for three consecutive years, according to the 2024 Index of Economic Freedom, which annually assesses the economic governance and entrepreneurial environments of 184 countries. Despite the disappointing downward trend of global economic freedom, the overall findings of the 2024 index, released Monday by The…Anthony B. Kim -
Biden’s Low Marks on Economy Reflect Reality
For all the White House’s bragging about the strength of the economy, most Americans still don’t approve of President Joe Biden’s performance on this issue. That’s likely because they have been left behind, especially native-born Americans. This is perhaps most evident in figures from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. If one looks only at the…EJ Antoni -
British Think Tank Leader: ‘Good Social Policy Makes for Good Economic Policy’
We as a society need to assert that healthy families build human flourishing in every nation and culture, and we are not being honest with people when we don’t, said the CEO of what has been called the most influential free-market think tank in Britain. “There are some logical steps to what leads to human flourishing, and…Lucy Gilbert -
Big Government Created This Economic Mess. Why Would We Think It Could Fix It?
It has been no secret that America, Germany, Austria, and Europe in general are currently confronted with major economic problems. All are experiencing inflation and minimal economic growth. Purchasing power is decreasing, and the balances on accounts and savings books of average citizens are dwindling. The problems started long ago and are political in nature….Dr. Barbara Kolm -
Time to End the Fed and Its Mismanagement of Our Economy
Every major economic downturn of the last 110 years bears the mark of the Federal Reserve. In fact, as long as the Fed has been around, it has swung the economy between inflation and recession. Yet Americans, surprisingly, have tolerated it. But we shouldn’t expect that to go on forever. We had three central banks before the Fed, and…EJ Antoni -
Utah’s Economic Prosperity Illustrates the Importance of Marriage, Family, and Religion
A recently released report says that Utah’s economy ranks No. 1 among all 50 states and attributes this top ranking to the influence of the state’s dominant culture of heterosexual marriage and the strength and stability of its families. Authors Brad Wilcox, Jenet Erickson, and Patrick T. Brown conclude in the Sutherland Institute report that…Arthur Goldberg