Economy Grows 3.4 Percent In 2 nd Quarter (07/27)
"Economic growth rebounded during the second quarter to its strongest pace since the beginning of last year on a surge in business investment, more government spending and a better trade performance, the Commerce Department reported Friday.” Identify which sectors of the economy fueled the growth during the second quarter (Sector). Discuss how a weaker dollar may have helped to increase exports (Dollar). Examine why this pick up in the economic growth is still shaky (Analysis).

Stocks Sink Further; Dow Has Worst Week In Almost 5 Years (07/19)
"Wall Street extended its steep decline Friday, propelling the Dow Jones industrials down more than 500 points over two days after investors gave in to mounting concerns that borrowing costs would climb for both companies and homeowners.” Examine how the U.S. economy performed during the second quarter of 2007 (GDP). Discuss why investors, despite a stronger-than-expected read on the economy, are concerned (Housing Market). Assess what percentage of GDP is driven by residential investment (Percentage). Do you think the worst of the current housing market slump is over (Analysis)?

Fed Minutes: Inflation Remains Biggest Risk (07/19)
"Continuing concerns about inflation underpin the Federal Reserve's stand against changes in interest rates.” Review the official Federal Open Market Committee minutes from its June meeting on monetary policy (Minutes). Do you agree with the Fed’s assessment that core inflation is a "predominate" concern (Inflation)? Do you agree that economic growth has picked up during the past quarter (Growth)? Discuss what would be the next likely policy action by the FMOC (Shadow).

June Payrolls Up 132,000 (07/06)
“The nation's employers created 132,000 jobs in June, as the unemployment rate held steady for the third straight month at 4.5%, in a sign the economy is expanding at a moderate pace.” Examine the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Situation Summary report for June (Report). Discuss how the official unemployment rate is calculated each month (Calculation). Assess how the U.S. job market is performing (Analysis). Discuss why the official unemployment rate may not provide clear signs of the employment situation (Signs).

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