Curious Cat Investing and Economics Carnival #1

I have been running the Curious Cat Management Management Improvement Carnival for several years and decided to start one on the investing and economics theme. I hope you enjoy the inaugural edition. If you like these posts you may also be interested in the Invest Reddit where a community of those interested in investing submit and rate articles and blog posts.

• Case-Shiller: Is it Really THAT Bad? by Stan Humphries - “Unfortunately, in combining both foreclosures and non-foreclosures into a single metric, you’re not really getting a good insight into either market. In the current climate, you’re underestimating the decline in value of foreclosed homes and overestimating the decline in value of non-foreclosure homes.”
• This is unquestionably the worst global economic crisis since the 1930s by Brad Setser - “Both the IMF and World Bank are now forecasting an outright fall in global output in 2009… Anything below 2% [growth] is generally considered a global recession.”
• Value Added Tax (VAT): The Pros and Cons by Eric Stinson - “The VAT is also a consumption tax, so there is incentive for you to limit your spending. Like the Fair Tax, if you spend less than you make, you’ll pay less in taxes (all else equal).”
• Face To Face With The Deficit by Scott Bittle - “The public simply will not permit Washington to raise their taxes, change their health insurance, or cut programs without their consent. Nor should they. But the public should understand the rules, too. It’s not enough to complain about red ink and then reject any possible solution.”
• Confusing price discrimination - “Any way I think about it, the discount should either be to all consumers or to students for the entire day. Why would it be only to students in the afternoon?”
• Leave Your Money in Your Retirement Accounts by Patrick - “At this point, the best thing you can do is stick to your retirement savings and investment plans. Continue contributing to your retirement accounts, make sure your asset allocation is set at your desired level, and don’t withdraw your retirement savings.”
• Invisible Hands Explain Nothing: a response to a critic by Gavin Kennedy - “Indeed, Smith gives over 60 instances in Books I and II of Wealth Of Nations where the actions of individuals for their own ‘gain’ have less than beneficial consequences on those around them”

A couple of my posts have appeared in other carnivals recently: California Unemployment Rate Climbs to 10.5 Percent in the Money Hacks Carnival and Add to Your 401(k) and IRA in the Carnival of Personal Finance.

Related: Money Hacks Carnival #50 - Curious Cat Investing and Economics Search