Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/05/is-college-worth-it-taking-new-econometric-methods-seriously/
Apr 23
In 2012, the Private Company Council (PCC) was formed to establish exceptions and modifications to U.S. GAAP appropriate for private companies. Such differences may include alternative recognition, measurement, disclosure, display, effective date, or transition guidance. Proposed differences for private companies must be agreed to by both the PCC and FASB and include a period for consideration of public comment …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/04/gaap-exception-buffet-offer-for-private-companies/
Apr 19
Last Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed at 14,865.06, down ever so slightly from 14,865.14, a move of 0.00%, or more precisely, -0.000538%. This non-move was especially surprising given the volatility during the day–the DJIA reached a low of 14,785.36, nearly 80 points or 0.54% below where it both started and finished. Such …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/04/its-a-rare-occurrence-when-the-djia-moves-0-00/
Apr 18
The Los Angeles Times reported that venture capital funding has declined considerably in Southern California. The article sourced data compiled from Dow Jones VentureSource, which provided the following statistics: Southern California companies raised $507.6 million from venture capital investors for Q1 2013, a 42% decline from Q1 2012 The amount raised in Q1 2013 was …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/04/venture-capital-funding-declines-in-southern-california/
Apr 12
Adam Alter, Professor of Marketing and Psychology at NYU, thinks that he’s found a way to increase aid donations in the aftermath of hurricanes. His solution: give hurricanes names with very common initials (e.g. “J” or “M”) because people allegedly donate more when Hurricanes share their first initial. To support his suggestion, Alter cites a …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/04/why-renaming-hurricanes-probably-wouldnt-have-increased-donations-by-700-million/
Apr 10
Wired Business reports that analysts at Morningstar and Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) believe that Amazon could dramatically increase profits by selling its Prime membership for much less than the current price of $79. The Amazon Prime membership, which provides a full year of free two-day shipping, is associated with much larger consumer spending. According …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/04/giving-away-amazon-prime-wont-likely-make-everyone-big-spenders/
Mar 15
In 2008, there were many complaints surrounding the US government bailout of AIG when it was on the verge of collapse and the disagreement as to whether that was the right course of action continues today. On Monday, March 11, US Court of Federal Claims Judge Thomas Wheeler approved two classes in what was initially …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/03/federal-claims-judge-approves-aig-classes-in-55-billion-class-action-lawsuit/
Mar 10
A recent article from the Wall Street Journal identifies a paradox: (i) “conservative lore” predicted rich people would leave California in response to a massive tax increase, yet, in fact, (ii) poor and middle class people have left instead. As evidence, the article summarizes the following about those who have left the state: 1. Their …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/03/has-californias-tax-on-the-rich-driven-out-the-poor-and-middle-class/
Mar 01
The article “Chocolate Consumption, Cognitive Function, and Nobel Laureates” recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) demonstrates that even published research may contain errors. The author, Franz H. Messerli, examines the correlation between countries’ chocolate consumption per capita and Nobel laureates per 10 million people. The linear relationship is strong, as shown …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/03/top-five-reasons-that-chocolate-doesnt-create-more-nobel-laureates-for-your-country/
Feb 27
About two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI vacates the papacy on February 28, the College of Cardinals will elect a new Roman Pontiff. These Cardinal Electors (117 in all) will come from around the world to meet in a Conclave famous for its white smoke/black smoke method of communicating election results to the outside world. …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/02/some-catholics-will-be-much-better-represented-in-the-upcoming-papal-election/
May 28
Is College Worth It?— New Econometric Methods Provide Another Approach
May 28, 2013
In a previous post, Eric discussed a Brookings Institution policy brief that argued, among other things, that college education is a poor investment for some students. This assertion is based in large part on the negative return on investment (ROI) reported by Payscale.com for certain non-selective colleges. The problem with this sort of analysis, however, …
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