Skip to content
TRENDING:
Donald Trump
Advertisement
Author profile

Patrice Hill

phill@washingtontimes.com

Patrice Hill was a staff writer for The Washington Times.

Articles by Patrice Hill

Accelerating car sales aid economy

Early reports out Wednesday showed a significant strengthening of the economy last month, with another double-digit increase in auto sales and the largest gain in small-business jobs in three years.

December 1, 2010

Holiday spirit hinges on taxes, jobless benefits

The important Christmas spending season got off to a promising start this weekend, but the lame-duck Congress and President Obama would play the Grinch if theyre unable to agree on extensions of unemployment benefits and the Bush-era tax cuts.

November 30, 2010

GM’s union recovering after stock sale

General Motors Co.'s recent stock offering was staged to start paying back the government for its $50 billion bailout, but one group made out much better than the taxpayers or other investors: the company's union.

November 25, 2010

Bailout sparks crisis in Ireland

The European Union's promised bailout set off a political crisis in Ireland on Monday while it did little to calm market fears that Portugal — and possibly Spain — will be the next to need assistance.

November 22, 2010

Car, retail sales reflect brighter economic picture

The economic outlook has brightened noticeably in recent days, with a splurge of car-buying by consumers unexpectedly lifting retail sales and businesses putting some of their nearly $2 trillion in stashed cash to work buying other companies with an eye toward growth.

November 15, 2010

Germany rebuffs Obama on trade gap

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday rejected a U.S. proposal to try to cap global trade imbalances while the world's other export powerhouse, China, shunned U.S. calls for speedier economic reform.

November 11, 2010

Obama’s defense of Fed action a tough sell to G-20

President Obama defended efforts to revive faster growth in the U.S. economy as the Group of 20 summit of world leaders got off to a testy start in South Korea Wednesday with little prospect for resolving simmering trade and currency disputes.

November 10, 2010
Pepper spray is fired at protesters as they clash with riot police during a protest denouncing the upcoming Group of 20 summit on Sunday in Seoul. Twenty world leaders will come together in Seoul on Nov. 11 and 12 to discuss the state of the global economy. (Associated Press)

Fed move threatens Obama’s G-20 agenda

President Obama's goal of galvanizing efforts by the world's leading economic powers this week to curb ballooning trade imbalances around the world appears in jeopardy as international outrage mounts over the Federal Reserve's easy-money policies.

November 9, 2010

World markets surge in wake of Fed’s infusion of cash

Stocks soared from New York to Tokyo on Thursday on investor elation over the Federal Reserve's massive cash infusion for the economy and markets, sending U.S. stock indexes to their highest levels since the 2008 financial crisis.

November 4, 2010
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke is seen taking a gamble with the purchase of about $900 billion in Treasury bonds to try to speed up economic growth. The outcome could shape the chairman's legacy. (Associated Press)

Fed buys $900B in bonds to spur growth

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday made good on its promise to try to spur faster economic growth through a controversial program to purchase about $900 billion in Treasury bonds — nearly half the amount issued to finance this year's federal deficit.

November 3, 2010

Analysts: Improving economy could benefit Obama in 2012

The sagging economy laid the groundwork for what looks to be a stunning defeat for congressional Democrats in Tuesday's elections, but two years from now a solidly recovering economy could lift President Obama's prospects for a second term, analysts say.

November 2, 2010

GOP takeover would tighten gridlock on financial relief

The two political parties are deeply divided over how to deal with the economy's lackluster performance, and the divide promises to get only more cavernous after Tuesday with the likely takeover of the House by a rejuvenated conservative Republican majority.

October 31, 2010

Debtors repent by walking away, not by paying off

A common refrain these days is that Americans are learning to save more and spend less, depending less on credit cards and unsustainable increases in mortgage debt to finance lifestyles that many can't afford.

October 28, 2010
**FILE** In this photo from Sept. 24, 2010, supporter Marisa Salas (right) holds a sign during a foreclosure and eviction rally at the home of Carlos Moreno in Menlo Park, Calif. Moreno has owned his home since 2006, had his home under foreclosure since January 2010, and was served eviction notice in July 2010. His case is now pending with the bank. (Associated Press)

Who wins if foreclosures halted?

Taxpayers and the federal government would be among the biggest losers if officials heed calls from some legislators and homeowners rights groups to stop millions of foreclosures across the country because of possible paperwork problems.

October 26, 2010
**FILE** (Associated Press)

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac deep in the hole

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are well on their way to becoming the biggest and most enduring black holes for taxpayers coming out of the 2008 financial crisis, with a new estimate of their bailout cost nearly doubling the tab to as high as $259 billion.

October 21, 2010