Consumers continue to cut debt
U.S. households have cut their debt burden to the lowest point in six years. At $13.4 trillion, total consumer debt, including mortgages and credit cards, is equal to 116 percent of disposable income—well off the peak of 130 percent attained in 2007—and is the lowest proportion since the last quarter of 2004.
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February a good month for retailers
American retailers in February enjoyed the largest increase in sales in four months, posting a strong 1.0 percent gain on top of a revised 0.7 percent gain in January.
BizJournals.com
Sony closes New Jersey CD plant
On March 31, the last CD will roll off the assembly line at Sony’s plant in Pitman, N.J., leaving the international music giant with just a single U.S. CD-pressing plant, in Indiana. CD sales have fallen by half since they peaked in 2000.
NPR.org
Investors celebrate bull market
Stock investors last week celebrated the second anniversary of one of the swiftest, strongest bull markets in history. Since the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index hit a cyclical low on March 9, 2009, the market value of all shares in the index has more than doubled, to $12.06 trillion from $5.9 trillion.
Los Angeles Times
Wealthy in name, poor in spirit
Four in 10 American millionaires do not feel wealthy, according to a survey of more than 1,000 “millionaire households” by Fidelity Investments. To feel wealthy, the survey found, millionaires require $7.5 million in investable assets. The median U.S. household income in 2009, the latest year for which data are available, was $49,777.
NPR.org
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Delhi's dogs earn Supreme Court reprieveIN THE SPOTLIGHT After an outcry from the public and animal rights activists, India's Supreme Court walks back a controversial plan to round the city's stray dog population into shelters
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8 hotels with ace tennis courtsThe Week Recommends Bring your A game
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Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportationSpeed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
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The bottom linefeature Working families continue to struggle; The least-trusted industries; The bestselling vehicle; Mobil device use triples; Global unemployment among the young
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The bottom line
feature The cost of e-filing; Dipping into nest eggs early; What Americans are drinking; Planning for death; How tax refunds are spent
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The bottom line
feature Building bigger houses; And tuition at OSU is?; Christmas at McDonald's; Self-gifting at Christmas; Lloyd’s prepares for Hurricane Sandy claims; Google's billions
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The bottom line
feature Good results for the third quarter; Compensation at financial firms hits a high; Three cities with recovering economies; Good year for car sales; Broadway's best performance ever; Tax bite is less in 2010 than in 1980
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The bottom line
feature Airlines cut domestic flights; Income up in small cities and rural areas; Bond and Lincoln lift box office earnings; Don't be fooled by Black Friday; The high toll of identity theft
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The bottom line
feature The gender pay gap; U.S. economic growth; Parents who argue about money; Online subscriptions rise
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The bottom line
feature Can the U.S. keep up?; Airlines spend billions on runway taxiing; Americans exaggerate their working hours; The Dow Jones's 67.9 percent gain; Success and summer babies
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The bottom line
feature Consumer confidence jumps; Wall Street cuts jobs, raises pay; Goldman Sachs's muppet hunt; Desktop web searches decline; Pizza Hut scraps debate freebie