Mayor Bloomberg said in 2003 that "if New York City is a business, it isn't Wal-Mart. It isn't trying to be the lowest-priced product in the market. It's a high-end product, maybe even a luxury product." If so, then the don't bode well for consu Read More
Public school finance will be one of the most hotly contested battlegrounds in New York's coming state budget war. From last June's of the Governor's (aka the Suozzi Commission), here is a reminder of one key factor driving up local school costs: Read More
In today's Times on the reaction of municipal labor unions to possible budget-cutting strategies, UFT President Randi Weingarten argues against any reform of generous pension benefits for municipal employees: “Here we have a s Read More
As a postscript to Nicole’s most recent post, which focused on New York City, it should be noted that New York’s state government doesn't immediately face a California-style cash crunch, either. The state stopped issuing short-term notes Read More
Just belatedly realized something in crunching the equity- and debt-underwriting numbers: Between 2005 and 2007, American financial institutions produced $5.4 trillion worth of mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities not Read More
The stock market is in the process of recovering roughly half of yesterday's losses based on investor hope that the financial bailout bill will be revived in Congress. But Nicole's in today's Post argues that the bailout, whenever it's passed, "co Read More
The of 's FDIC-brokered purchase of Wachovia point up some long-term implications for New York's economy. Specifically, in return for shouldering $270 billion in potential losses at Wachovia's property-related assets that would otherwise be Citi Read More
Wendell Cox ponders the question in . The short answer: very far, indeed, especially in markets where building is stringently regulated. Read More