[THS] Economy: Stories

[The Harder Stuff in news and commentary]

Scrap dollar as sole reserve currency: U.N. report:

A new United Nations report released on Tuesday calls for abandoning the U.S. dollar
as the main global reserve currency, saying it has been unable to safeguard value.
http://tinyurl.com/28asvk9

===

National debt soars to highest level since WWII:

The federal debt will represent 62% of the nation's economy by the end of this year,
the highest percentage since just after World War II, according to a long-term
budget outlook released today by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
http://tinyurl.com/236dml9

===

May pending home sales tumble without tax credits:

The number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase homes tumbled in May, a
sign the housing recovery can't survive without government incentives.
http://tinyurl.com/2g9mx7k

===

Let them eat cake:
1.3 million unemployed won't get benefits restored:

For the third time in as many weeks, Republicans in the Senate successfully
filibustered a bill Wednesday night that would have continued unemployment checks
to people who have been laid off for long stretches.
http://tinyurl.com/2c77svl

===

New jobless claims rise in sign of weak job market:

Initial claims for unemployment benefits rose last week for the second time in three
weeks. At the same time, more than a million people have lost benefits and more
could be cut off now that Congress has failed to extend federal jobless aid.
http://tinyurl.com/249nofv

===

Recession cut into employment for half of working adults, study says :

The recession has directly hit more than half of the nation's working adults, pushing
them into unemployment, pay cuts, reduced hours at work or part-time jobs,
according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/06/30/AR2010063000022.html

===