Economists Behind Discredited Austerity Study Lash Out at Paul Krugman

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig May 27, 2013 Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, the Harvard economists whose influential pro-austerity study was recently exposed as being seriously flawed, have penned a scathing open letter to the New York Times columnist, who has been a major critic of their work and one of the leading voices in the anti-austerity movement. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

U.S. Economy Shrinks for First Time Since Mid-2009

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 31, 2013 American GDP contracted by an annual rate of 0.1 percent between October and December of last year, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ireland Is Pushed Back Into Recession

Staff / Truthdig Mar 24, 2012 A 0.2 percent dip in GDP at the end of 2011, which followed a drastic decline in the third quarter, has thrown Ireland back into recession, alongside Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal and Greece, and begs the question of whether austerity is the answer to Europe’s economic woes. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Focus on Iran and China Could Hasten American Decline

William Pfaff / Truthdig Feb 1, 2012 Americans might do better to give up their China obsession and go back to their traditional vision of a European threat. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Activist Spells Out Our Great Shame

Staff / Truthdig Aug 22, 2011 Gus Speth, environmental lawyer, former Clinton adviser and founder of the Washington, D.C.-based World Resources Institute, who was arrested Sunday at the White House while protesting a proposed oil pipeline, has some bad news for American optimists. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

German Economy Lags in Second Quarter

Staff / Truthdig Aug 16, 2011 Germany's economy slowed to a crawl during the second financial quarter this year, registering only 0.1 percent growth during that time and dampening the optimism that Germans felt after an exceptionally strong first quarter. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

GDP Growth Falls to 1.8% in First Months of 2011

Staff / Truthdig Apr 29, 2011 Economists and other Americans were disappointed to see the country's GDP growth slow to an aching 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2011. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bad News Bernanke Strikes Again

Staff / Truthdig Feb 10, 2011 As if the last couple of years haven't been brutal enough, here comes Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke with the exasperating news that the job market isn't going to markedly improve for "several years." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

GDP Logs a 3.2% Rise in 4th Quarter

Staff / Truthdig Jan 29, 2011 Even though it fell short of economists’ expectations, a 3.2 percent rise in the GDP during the last quarter of 2010 has rekindled hopes that the U.S. economy may be moving toward sustainable recovery. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Krugman: The Attack on Social Security

Staff / Truthdig Aug 16, 2010 New York Times econo-whiz Paul Krugman marked the 75th anniversary of America's Social Security program with a warning note on Sunday, declaring that Social Security is under siege from "nearly all Republicans" as well as "some Democrats." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

At Least the German Economy’s Growing

Staff / Truthdig Aug 14, 2010 The U.S. economy is still an unholy mess, but someone is doing something right over in Germany, which reported record growth over the three-month period from April through June -- the biggest such spike since the once-split nation reunified. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

China About to Bump Japan as the No. 2 Economy

Staff / Truthdig Jan 21, 2010 Even in the face of the global economic crisis, China's economy still managed to grow by a surprising 8.7 percent last year, according to the bean-counters in Beijing, putting the country on track to overtake Japan as the world's second-biggest economy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )