News

Recession Briefing 5.29

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

Publishers are seeing strong sales in the romance genre as other categories decline and consumers cut back on spending. (Associated Press, Recessionwire)

The U.S. economy sank at a 5.7 percent pace as the recession carried over into the start of the year. It marked the second straight quarter where the economy took a huge tumble. (Associated Press)

The turn of the century saw a huge burst of babies, worldwide, conceived with assisted reproductive technologies. But now, in the United States, infertility treatments are down due to the recession. (Los Angeles Times)

For millions of families the recession is not a layoff, or a drastic reduction in income, but a pay cut that has forced them to recalculate their daily spending. (New York Times)

A spate of new ad campaigns address today’s economic anxieties by invoking the Great Depression. (New York Times)

The global economic crisis is exacerbating human rights abuses, Amnesty International has warned. Rising prices meant millions were struggling to meet basic needs in Africa and Asia, it said, and protests were being met with repression. (BBC News)

The recession — and the higher job losses that have come with it — is playing an increasingly profound role in the rise of mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures. (U.S. News & World Report)

Unethical behavior in business occurs even in good times. But when you throw in a recession, job losses and pay cuts, it seems to get worse. (Dallas Morning News)

A report released yesterday indicated that recent increases in the minimum wage are acting as a “stealth stimulus,” helping to prevent the recession from spiraling out of control. (Reuters)

Robert Guest says that businesses that survive the recession will end up leaner and stronger as a result of the cutbacks they are making now. (Economist)

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