Essay --

The Economy, Monetary Policy, and Monopolies Alesia E. Davis Strayer University Eco-100 Dr. Shadrack Koros December 6, 2013 Analyze the current economic situation in the U.S. as compared to five (5) years ago. Include interest rates, inflation, and unemployment in your analysis. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal posted on the 6th of December 2013, employers in the United States have continued to increase jobs at a fixed pace and the unemployment rate fell in November, a sign of stronger economic growth that may intensify debate within the Federal Reserve about reducing central bank bond purchases as early as this month. (Wall Street Journal, 2013) U.S. payrolls rose by 203,000 last month, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point to 7.0%, the lowest level in five years. (Wall Street Journal, 2013) Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast nonfarm payrolls would rise by 180,000 and the unemployment rate would tick down to 7.2%. Payroll numbers in September and October were reviewed up by a combined 8,000. Friday's report may strengthen expectations that the Fed will soon slow the pace of its $85 billion a month in bond purchases. At their October meeting, officials were looking to end the program "in coming months." The Fed's program, started in September 2012, is designed to keep long-term interest rates low, boost investment and spur hiring. (Wall Street Journal, 2013, New York Times, 2013) In October of 2013, the US inflation rate eased for the third straight month to 1 percent, the lowest rate since October of 2009. Primarily due to a drop in gasoline prices in September, the price dropped to ... ...t possible competitors from entering the market. (O'Sullivan, A., Sheffrin, S., & Perez, S. (2012)) â€Æ' The Wall Street Journal - Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News & Video - Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wsj.com The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://NYT.com Interest rates: The big freeze - Jan. 22, 2013. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/01/news/economy/interest-rates.moneymag/ O'Sullivan, A., Sheffrin, S., & Perez, S. (2012). Survey of economics: Principles, applications, and tools (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall. Job Creation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://useconomy.about.com/od/Employment/tp/Job-Creation.htm The Bell System| History| AT&T. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.corp.att.com/history/history3.html