James Hamilton | TalkMarkets | Page 1
Professor of Economics at the University of California
Contributor's Links: Econbrowser University of California
James D. Hamilton has been a professor in the Economics Department at the University of California at San Diego since 1992. He served as department chair from 1999-2002, and has also taught at Harvard University and the University of Virginia. He received a Ph.D. in economics from the University ...more

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Lower Oil Prices And The U.S. Economy
The current price of gasoline is 80 cents/gallon below what it has averaged over the last 3 years. Last year Americans consumed 135 billion gallons of gasoline.
Social Security And Paid-Up Workers
Americans are living longer and retiring earlier. But how, as an individual or as a country, can you finance a 30-year retirement with a 40-year career?
Solid GDP Report
The Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that U.S. real GDP grew at a 3.5% annual rate in the third quarter. That combines with a 4.6% annual growth rate now reported for the second quarter.
How Will Saudi Arabia Respond To Lower Oil Prices?
Oil prices have fallen dramatically since last summer. Will Saudi Arabia respond with significant cutbacks in production?
Lower Oil Prices
European Brent has mostly traded in a range of $100-$120 with West Texas intermediate selling at a $5 to $20 discount.
Pessimism About U.S. Growth Rates
A growing number of observers are starting to conclude that we’re never going to see the rebound in growth rates that many people had anticipated as the U.S. recovers from the Great Recession.
Other Perspectives On The New Bond Market Conundrum
Last week I commented on a puzzling phenomenon in bond markets this year– long-term rates have been falling at the same time that nearer-term rates have been rising.
What Did Quantitative Easing Accomplish?
Roger Farmer has taken a new look at an issue concerning the Federal Reserve’s program of large-scale asset purchases (referred to in the popular press as “quantitative easing”) that I’ve been discussing on Econbrowser and in my research with University of Chicago Professor Cynthia Wu for some time
What Did Quantitative Easing Accomplish?
One theory of how LSAP might affect interest rates is that if the Fed takes a large enough volume of long-term securities out of the hands of private investors, the drop in net supply could in principle lower the yields on those securities
Reaching For Yield
The unfunded liabilities of the San Diego County Employees Retirement Association have increased every year for the last five years, reaching $2.45 billion last year, more than quintuple the level in 2008.
Investment Slumps
I was interested to take a look at our recent weak economic performance from a longer-term perspective.
Finally, Some Economic Growth!
The Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that U.S. real GDP grew at a 4.0% annual rate in the second quarter. Hopefully that’s the start of something good; but so far, it’s only a start.
China’s Financial Risk
Three years ago I called attention to the NYU Stern Volatility Laboratory. Since then it’s grown into an even more amazing resource, giving anyone access to constantly updated information about financial conditions in dozens of countries around the globe.
Keeping Oil Production From Falling
Production flows from a given oil field naturally decline over time, but we keep trying harder and technology keeps improving. Which force is winning the race?
Current Economic Conditions
The Bureau of Economic Analysis announced on June 25 that U.S. real GDP fell at a 2.9% annual rate during the first quarter, compared with an initial estimate of 0.1% growth for the quarter that the BEA had initially put out in April. Here are my thoughts about the new estimates.
1 to 15 of 15 Posts