What's worrying the Bank of Japan?

Some members of the Bank of Japan have expressed concerns over the central bank's ambitious new monetary policies, warning that overly aggressive action could discourage lending, or produce otherwise unwanted side effects.

The concerns were disclosed in the minutes of the central bank's early April meeting, an event that ultimately produced a pledge to rapidly expand the bank's balance sheet through the purchase of  longer-term debt and securities, such as exchange traded MORE

Is China cooking its books?

Are China's economic statistics accurate?

Pose this question to a group a China watchers and you're likely to receive a variety of responses. Some observers are convinced that China is cooking its books. Others believe state statistics are largely reliable and useful for drawing conclusions about the world's second largest economy. Still others will debate the accuracy of certain data classes, pointing to more meaningful alternatives.

Now we have an opinion from researchers MORE

China sets economic goals for 2013

Premier Wen Jiabao opened China's annual parliamentary meetings Tuesday by issuing a new set of targets for the world's second largest economy.

The target for gross domestic product growth will remain 7.5%, but the government said it will carry a larger deficit in 2013 to help finance spending plans.

China recorded its weakest growth in 13 years in 2012, but a rebound in the fourth quarter removed any lingering concern that its MORE

Can a $1 trillion coin end debt ceiling crisis?

What if the threat of a voluntary default by the United States could be erased by simply turning one tiny scrap of platinum into a coin?

That's right. No debt ceiling problem. No bickering in Congress. No market jitters. The only thing needed is for the Treasury Department to mint a platinum coin with a face value of $1 trillion.

Of course, this is not going to happen. Creating money out of MORE

Intel report: China's economy to surpass U.S. by 2030

The National Intelligence Council -- the same thinkers who produce National Intelligence Estimates -- has released an 140-page report that offers a series of prognostications about how the world might change in coming decades.

The report is full of all kinds of fun concepts, like powered exoskeletons designed to help the elderly, bio-based energy and 3-D printing. You can read the full report here.

But one of the biggest economics themes of the report is the MORE

Obama win may ease China tension

President Obama and Mitt Romney heaped criticism on China during the presidential campaign, with the Republican candidate advocating an especially aggressive policy stance toward Beijing.

Romney pledged to label China a currency manipulator on his first day in office. And if Beijing did not immediately move to float its currency, Romney said he would slap countervailing duties on Chinese exports to the U.S.

Obama was more measured in his criticism, but still MORE

Romney wins debate -- on Intrade

To the investors on Intrade, there was little question who came away from Wednesday night's presidential debate on top: Mitt Romney.

Intrade is a prediction market that allows investors to wager on the outcome of events. In this case: the presidential election. (Watch video: The debate in 99 seconds)

Earlier this week, the site's users placed the odds that President Obama would win re-election as high as 79%. Just before the debate MORE

Moody's: Obama still on track to beat Romney

Despite a wave of disappointing economic reports, President Obama is still likely to top Mitt Romney on Election Day, according to the latest forecast from Moody's Analytics.

According to the model, which produces a state-by-state prediction based in part on the latest economic data, Obama is on track to capture 303 electoral votes. (270 are required for victory.)

Moody's is predicting that Obama will win several important battleground states, including Virginia, Colorado and MORE

Moody's: Jobs data boosts Obama's chances

President Obama's re-election chances rose in July on stronger employment data, according to an election forecasting model created by Moody's Analytics.

The group's model -- which produces a state-by-state prediction based in part on the latest economic data -- currently predicts that Obama will capture 303 electoral votes and another term.

Mitt Romney, the Republican challenger, is projected to win 25 states and 235 electoral votes. Romney's chances had improved in recent MORE

Brits change tune on Olympics

The British, famous for their grumbling, have apparently taken the advice of London's mayor and "put a sock in it."

Fifty percent of the British public now believes the Olympic Games are worth the $14 billion investment, according to a ComRes poll conducted for The Independent. Forty-two percent say the Olympics aren't worth the price tag. Eight percent don't know.

That's a sharp turnaround from March, when only 40% said the games MORE