Aug. 31: This post has been updated. New data is in red. As part of our investigation into unemployment insurance , here’s a look at how individual state systems compare. Thanks to a historical compromise, each state has its own unemployment insurance system, and they come in 51 different flavors — one for each state [...]

Commentary by Kevin HassettAug. 31 (Bloomberg) — Like the Chinese, the folks at Disney World peg their currency to the dollar. Hand them $1 U.S. and you receive one Disney dollar, complete with a picture of Mickey Mouse or his friends, plus the signature of Disney’s official treasurer, Scrooge McDuck. That transaction now seems superfluous. [...]

A report that Chinese state-owned companies will be allowed to walk away from loss-making commodity derivative trades provoked anger and dismay among investment bankers on Monday as they feared it may set a damaging precedent.The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the regulator and nominal shareholder for state-owned enterprises (SOEs), told six foreign banks that [...]

By Ambrose Evans-PritchardTwo facts that should give pause for thought.1) Japanese data released on Thursday showed that exports fell yet again in July. They are down 39.5pc to the US, and 26.5pc to China.Japan is the world’s second biggest economy. It lives on exports. It is also a key part of the supply chain for [...]

By Simon MaierhoferThe market has been up, which puts investors in a good mood. It is this feeling of security, however, that preceded every major market meltdown. Think back to the 2000 and 2007 stock market highs and compare it today. 1929 was no different. In fact, the parallels are fear inspiringly similar. If there’s [...]

By Chris MartensonExecutive SummaryWhat can we expect next, and how will we recognize it?A series of sharp, interrupted shocks is more likely than a major sudden collapse.Five game-changing events, what I call The Five Horsemen, will indicate that the rules have changed and a new reality is about to take over:The First Horseman: New credit [...]

By DeepCaster LLCThe U.S. Federal Reserve asked a federal judge not to enforce her order that it reveal the names of the banks that have participated in its emergency lending programs and the sums they received, saying such disclosure would threaten the companies and the economy… “Immediate release of these documents will cause irreparable harm [...]

By Alexis MadrigaLast year, 140 dams were fixed, but inspectors discovered 368 more that need help. That’s why the American Society of Civil Engineers gave our dams a grade of “D” in its 2009 report on the nation’s infrastructure. There are just too many aging dams and too few safety inspectors. “With the huge number [...]

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