CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
October 18, 2000
Re "Privatize Social Security; Here's Why," Commentary, Oct. 16: One simple question for Edward E. Leamer and other advocates of privatizing Social Security: Name one major private pension plan that provides for cost-of-living adjustments in its benefit to retirees. All major pensions receive expert, professional investment advice on their portfolios and are unable to provide COLAs. How are individual workers, without this advice, to outperform them? WILLIAM HOHRI Lomita
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
December 11, 2001
Robert M. Williams, a retired business economics professor and founder of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, died Thursday of heart failure. He was 88. Williams, who served on UCLA's business school faculty for more than 30 years, opened the economic forecasting operation now known as the UCLA Anderson Forecast in 1952. The center remains one of the nation's few university-based economic forecasting groups, and its predictions are followed by business analysts across the country.
OPINION
December 12, 1993
Do Americans know what they want from U.S. foreign policy? A fascinating Times Mirror poll released last month suggested that U.S. public opinion is quite unsettled on this point. Even more remarkable, perhaps, was the scarcely more formed consensus among the nation's influentials--the so-called "chattering class" of intellectuals and policy leaders.
BUSINESS
September 25, 2002 | MARLA DICKERSON, TIMES STAFF WRITER
UCLA forecasters predict anemic economic growth well into 2003 as the state and nation continue their slow recovery from last year's downturn. But they say a second recessionary dip is unlikely despite a spate of gloomy news that has sent Wall Street reeling of late. War jitters, slumping leading indicators and a decline in consumer confidence have heightened concerns that the recovery is stagnating.
BUSINESS
October 14, 2009 | Ronald D. White
Gasoline prices were down this week, but behind the scenes some economists are worried that a jump in the price of crude oil could slow the recovery. Average pump prices in California fell for the fourth straight week, according to the Energy Department's weekly survey of filling stations. But with oil futures inching toward $75 a barrel, analysts said the retail gasoline declines may be very short-lived. Oil futures have bounced between $65 and $75 a barrel for several months, but now it looks as though prices may soon go higher.
BUSINESS
November 27, 2007 | Peter Y. Hong, Times Staff Writer
Eric S. Broida wants to trade up. He has been eyeing a multimillion-dollar house near his Pacific Palisades home and thinks it might be a bargain. Eventually, that is. The 4,600-square-foot house has languished on the market for six months. The sellers have cut the asking price several times, slashing it from $4.6 million to $3.6 million. When the price falls by an additional $400,000 or so, Broida will be ready to pounce.