Links 5 August 2013

Global Macro/Markets:

• Commodities: The end of the Holy Grail – VOX
• Why Is Inflation So Low? – Econbrowser

North America:

• Why Obama should pick Yellen to lead the Fed – Financial Times
• The Right Leader for the Fed – New York Times
• U.S. Cuts Take Increasing Toll on Job Growth – New York Times
• Skyrocketing Numbers of Federal Workers on Forced Leave – New York Times
• Recent Jobs & Growth Numbers: Good or Bad? – harvard.edu
• An Employment Number That Isn’t Budging – New York Times

Europe:

• IMF advises Spain to cut wages by 10 percent – elpais.com
• IMF forecasts alarming Spain unemployment outlook – Financial Times

Asia:

• China’s Impending Slowdown Just Means It’s Joining the Big Leagues – HBR
• China Blocks NZ Milk Powder Over Botulism – sky.com
• Life in a Toxic Country – New York Times
• China Halts Fonterra Milk-Powder Imports in Blow to New Zealand – Bloomberg
• China bans New Zealand milk powder imports on botulism scare: NZ trade minister – Reuters
• Disease Burden in China – plos.org
• China May Let More Families Have Second Child, Xinhua Says – Bloomberg
• China to ditch its one-child policy as ageing crisis looms – The Telegraph
• Fukushima clean-up turns toxic for Japan’s Tepco – Reuters

Local:

•  Rudd calls post boom election – The AFR
• Coalition cuts, savings measures under fire – The AFR
• The myth of squandering the mining boom – The AFR
• Housing construction costs “set to soar” – The Australian
• Tony Abbott’s $17 billion savings challenge – The Australian
• Uncertainty on boom’s downside – The Australian
• Hockey’s populism ties-up Labor – The Age

Other

• Don’t We Need a Fed That Is Independent of Wall Street? – cepr.net
• Ever Expanding Government Employment – Econbrowser
• Stay-at-home adult kids strain boomers’ finances – Encore – MarketWatch