Best business commentary
We don’t need “a politically motivated economic stimulus bill,” say Bill Thomas and Alex Brill in The Wall Street Journal. The “housing market has veered off course,” says Jessica Anderson in Kiplinger.com, but that doesn’t mean your remodeling plans shou
Leave the stimulating to the Fed
We don’t need “a politically motivated economic stimulus bill,” say Bill Thomas and Alex Brill in The Wall Street Journal. But with the presidential candidates “eager to ‘rescue’ voters” and President Bush trying to avoid leaving on “a sour note,” the “political calendar” shows the time as ripe for one. The “economic data,” however, “are far from compelling.” But even if a stimulus were a good idea, passing a tax cut takes “at least six months,” and the “easiest ‘stimulus’ package Washington could enact”—dropping “money from planes into the hands of voters/consumers”—is ineffective. It may not be “popular,” but the “potential” recession is “best handled by the Federal Reserve.”
A good time for some home improvement
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The “housing market has veered off course,” says Jessica Anderson in Kiplinger.com, but that doesn’t mean your remodeling plans should. It’s a buyer’s market for contractors and subcontractors, and the right project can lead to “substantial” returns when you sell. Upgrading the kitchen and bathroom are good bets, as long as you “don’t overimprove” them. But the highest returns come from “replacement projects—windows, siding, and roofs.” Will you recoup your investment? “That depends.” But “even if you don’t get all your money back,” the home improvements could help “tip buyers in your direction” in a tough market.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Antony Gormley's Time Horizon – a 'judgmental army' of 100 cast-iron men
The Week Recommends Sculptures are 'everymen questioning the privilege of their surroundings' at the Norfolk stately home
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'King's horses take free rein through London'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published