This week from the @valeofinancial Twitter feed

The U.S. Economy

• U.S. Economy: Falling Short of Its Potential Valeo
• U.S. pending home sales +8.2% in May, first y/y increase since April 2010. Moody’s
• Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Fell 4% in April vs. Year Earlier Bloomberg
• Consumer Spending Pace Slowest Since 2009 NPR

The Federal Reserve / U.S. Treasury

• RIP QE2. A Retrospective in Pictures Wall Street Journal
• Who will be the biggest Treasury buyer after QE2 ends? The Fed! Planet Money
• A Look Inside the Fed’s Balance Sheet (interactive) Wall Street Journal
• Why the U.S. gov’t made 1 billion coins that nobody wants. Planet Money

Oil and Gas 

• Retail gasoline prices have not decreased as quickly as crude oil prices. 1 year chart: Gas Buddy
• Fluctuations in Oil Prices, Speculation, and Strategic Reserves Becker-Posner Blog

Around the World

• Commercial-property prices around the world The Economist
• US and UK deficits: Is the problem revenues or spending? Chart: The Economist
• Chinese Largesse Supports Euro, But For How Long? Wall Street Journal
• Christine Lagarde has been named the new head of the IMF: The Economist
• Greece Secures Austerity Vote Wall Street Journal

Financial Planning

• Retirement savings nears all-time high Yahoo! Finance
• Exchange-traded funds ETFs: The risks created by complicating a simple idea The Economist

 Other

• Ten (long standing)Brands That Will Disappear in 2012 24/7 Wall Street
• What’s so great about small businesses? The Economist
• Putting the past decade into perspective: Stat of the day (err, century) FT Alphaville