Morning Journal--A report card on the sequester

Economics

   This Week’s Data

            July construction spending rose 0.6% versus expectations of unchanged.

            http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2013/09/construction-spending-in-july-private.html

            August Markit PMI came in at 53.1 versus estimates of 53.9.

            The August Institute fro Supply Management’s manufacturing index was reported at 55.7 versus forecasts of 53.8.

            http://www.capitalspectator.com/archives/2013/09/ism_index_mfg_a.html#more

            Weekly mortgage applications rose 1.3% but purchase applications fell 0.4%.

   Other

            Over night it was reported that the UK services sector grew at the fastest rate in six and half years.

            A report card on the sequester (medium):

            http://cafehayek.com/2013/09/the-intellectual-bankruptcy-of-macroeconomics-by-russ-roberts.html

Politics

  Domestic

Marginal tax rates under Obamacare (short):

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2013/09/marginal-tax-rates-under-obamacare.html

  International War Against Radical Islam

            CIA trained Syrian rebels on way to battlefield (short):

            http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-03/cia-armed-and-trained-syrian-rebels-way-battlefield

            Why Syria (short):

            http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-03/why-did-obama-choose-syria