Business Economists Call For Higher Rates & Deficit Watch

The National Association for Business Economics, or the NABE, has continued on its call for a muted recovery.  But there are some key issues it has brought up.  The NABE sees a rate hike sooner than what Fed governors are telegraphing and much sooner than what many key market pundits are calling for.  But there is another issue to consider as well, and that is that the NABE is calling out against the huge deficits.

The group noted, “… a majority believes that a rise in interest rates is both likely and appropriate in the next several months.”  Eight out of ten respondents in the survey did not believe another stimulus package is warranted at this time.

On fiscal concerns, eight out of ten suggested that the long-term imbalance of the federal budget might impact the country’s ability to borrow.

The full report is here at the NABE.com site.

We had moved our target from late Q1-2010 to summer-2010 for any rate hikes.  That may be summer or may be fall, but the obvious answer is that rates can’t be taken any lower.

JON C. OGG

Credit Card Companies Are Doing Something Nuts

Credit card companies are at war. The biggest issuers are handing out free rewards and benefits to win the best customers.

It’s possible to find cards paying unlimited 1.5%, 2%, and even more today. That’s free money for qualified borrowers, and the type of thing that would be crazy to pass up. Those rewards can add up to thousands of dollars every year in free money, and include other benefits as well.

We’ve assembled some of the best credit cards for users today.  Don’t miss these offers because they won’t be this good forever.

Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

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