Cattle prices hit a record high
After ranches in the American West were hit by two straight years of drought, live-cattle prices have hit a record high of $1.34 a pound for February delivery. Food and restaurant prices are likely to rise in the coming months because beef supplies are scarcer.
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 top 1 percent's new tax rate
Under the agreement that avoided the fiscal cliff, the top 1 percent of U.S. taxpayers—those with annual income of roughly $500,000—will pay an effective federal tax rate of just over 36 percent, more than at any time since 1979.
TheAtlantic.com
The rising cost of college textbooks
College textbooks have risen in price by 812 percent since 1978, far outpacing even the 559 percent increase in tuition and fees over the same period. The average student at a four-year college pays $655 per year for textbooks and supplies.
HuffingtonPost.com
Carbon emissions fall
Carbon emissions from U.S. power plants were 12 percent lower in 2012 than at their peak in 2007, even though the economy is now larger. Emissions last year were about the same as they were in 1995, largely because cheaper domestic natural gas has supplanted dirtier coal in power plants.
Reason.com
Which microwave would you buy?
In equipping its Washington headquarters with solely U.S.-made products, the Alliance for American Manufacturing found that the cheapest domestically manufactured microwave retails for $550. That’s 10 times the price of Walmart’s least expensive offering from Asia, which goes for $55.
The National Journal
-
How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
-
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black KeysFeature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
The bottom linefeature Fewer jobs, bigger paychecks on Wall Street; Home as the primary workplace; Revenue up in the music industry; The success of community college graduates; Millennials mind their debt
-
The bottom line
feature Americans prefer bonds; The high cost of patent lawsuits; The price of gas in California; India's stock market takes a beating; The IMF issues a warning
-
The bottom line
feature Real estate near good public schools; Travel agents make a comeback; Amazon takes on Home Depot and Staples; People receiving disability benefits at record high; How important are high-paying careers?
-
The bottom line
feature China's wealthy lawmakers; Google's move into TV; Fastenal tops Apple and Microsoft; Sheldon Adelson's big bets; Housing prices in Detroit move up
-
The bottom line
feature Sales of digital music surpass album sales; The business savvy of immigrants; The Kate Middleton Effect; China's luxury car market; A poor market for architecture majors
-
The bottom line
feature JPMorgan Chase surpasses BofA; Are the protestors right?; A weak market for music; Italy's debt; Residence visas for wealthy foreigners
-
The bottom line
feature AIG repays last of $85 billion loan; Fewer Americans own homes; Credit-card interest rates peak; Consumers hoard the incandescent; Lenders return to commerical property
-
The bottom line
feature Default rate on corporate debt falls; Business travel is up; Gold reaches a record high; Hunting industry reaps billions; Average credit card debt drops