Congressional Budget Office

On Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a 55-page report on the U.S. long-term budget outlook, and the picture isn’t pretty. The CBO revealed a number of troubling statistics about how U.S. federal spending is out of control. “At 77 percent of gross domestic product...

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is expected to release its score for the controversial new healthcare bill on Monday. The new plan spearheaded by House Speaker Paul Ryan aims at replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The CBO is expected to deliver estimates of both how much the new plan...

It seems like each election cycle, politicians talk constantly about getting the national debt level under control. Then, no matter which part takes the White House, the new administration continues to pile on more and more debt. The Congressional Budget Office projects the federal debt will grow...

President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap a tariff on General Motors Company (NYSE: GM)'s cars that are made in Mexico but sold domestically. Trump is likely aware that this violates NAFTA agreements, yet he is unlikely to care nor be deterred from implementing his Made-in-America...

According to CNN Money, the amount of spending the U.S. federal government oversees is actually sitting at a multi-decade low. CNN Money, citing the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), reported on Monday that within 10 years, defense and domestic spending is on pace to decline to the lowest level as...

The U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise interest rates at its upcoming December meeting next week. The bank has been discussing the possibility of a rate hike for the past year, leaving markets to guess when and how much the bank will decide to increase. While predictions for when a...

Does a higher minimum wage necessarily mean higher prices for businesses and, by passing those prices along, consumers? The controversy over income inequality and the U.S. minimum wage has been percolating for some time now. And while the Obama Administration has been pushing for a federal minimum...

The government has to pay its bills. So every time someone else uses a loophole to pay less taxes, you pay more.  That doesn’t mean every tax break is bad. Some benefit many people, like child tax credits or the mortgage interest deductions. Whether or not those policies are ideal, they have a...

The Congressional Budget Office released a report this week on the effects of a federal minimum wage increase, saying it would increase family income, but result in fewer jobs. The CBO took two alternatives into consideration for increasing the minimum wage. One option is to increase the...

Chairman and co-founder of Equity Group Investments Sam Zell appeared on Bloomberg Television with host Betty Liu Wednesday where he commented on Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) new CEO, Satya Nadella, among other things, including liquidity in the market, health care, and philanthropy. “I think...

This weekend in Barron's online: the looming economic calamity if entitlement spending is not reined in, as well as the prospects for AMC Networks, Prem Watsa and more. Cover Story "What, Me Worry?" by Gene Epstein. Unless Washington stops dithering, says this week's cover story in Barron's, the...

In less than a month, insurance marketplaces open and shortly after that the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, will begin to hit actual American pocketbooks. The good news, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation is that the pain will probably be less than you think. Whether...

Democrats in the Senate would like the rate on subsidized Stafford student loans to be set in concrete at 3.4 percent. Republicans favor tying the interest rate to the 10-year Treasury rate. From those respective starting positions, both sides have worked to find compromise. And they almost did....

Futures Rise on Global Strength U.S. equity futures rose in early trade as Asian shares rallied and European shares traded mixed. Eyes are on earnings globally as the economic calendar was rather light overnight. Top News In other news around the markets: China's Ministry of Commerce issued a...

As the number of gas/electric hybrid and fully-electric vehicles continues to expand, more and more consumers are taking advantage of the U.S. government's available $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of these new cars. But long term, questions are surrounding the effectiveness of the credit on...