The Angry Bear

House resale price indexes confirm upturn in prices for existing homes, but do not negate combined price declines  – by New Deal democrat We got more price information about the very important housing market this morning. Through September, the median price of home resales as measured by Case Shiller increased 0.9% monthly. For the FHFA Index they rose 0.6%. Both measures are up about 46% since just before the pandemic hit (note: FRED hasn’t...

Been busy updating my computer when I ran into an issue. I had paid for the Geek Squad when we bought a new Sony TV for our new house in AZ. I took my lap top into them and they sorted through it all , fixed the issue, corrected some other issues I di not know I had, cleaned it up, and it cost me nothing. We used their help with the Sony also via phone. The lady on the other end told us how to fix it. So I am behind. But back up and running....

Coronavirus update through October 30, 2023  – by New Deal democrat No important economic news today, but it’s been a while since I took a look at the COVID-19 data, and there is an interesting trend, so let’s have at it! But first, some bad news. The most reliable data for infections for the past year has been from Biobot, which tracked wastewater nationwide. Well, they lost their contract, which was won by a Google subsidiary called...

The October 30 issue of The New Yorker has a piece on Xi’s China called “China’s Age of Malaise.” While the mainstream media continues to promote the idea that China has become a wellspring of creativity and economic competition, the reality is that China is retreating into the rigid, sclerotic political dogmatism that characterized the Mao era and that brought down the Soviet Union. The money grafs:“Early this year, the Party launched a campaign to...

I rewrote portions of this article and added information from my own experiences in Automotive when new technology is introduced. My experience is not as great when compared to the introduction of EVs. However, it does come close enough to understand what is going on with the industry. Anyways, onwards. As taken from: GM Says EV Demand Is Shrinking. Data Shows a Complex Market, autoweek.com, Emmet White Generally speaking about the market . . ....

Upon hearing the Latin term caveat emptor, we likely think of the Uniform Commercial Code – of legal matters regarding commerce. These days – it turns out – ‘let the buyer beware’ is also very applicable to politics and the media. Fox News isn’t only hiding behind the First Amendment; it is also saying that one should know better than to believe the lies it is peddling. Facebook sells its consumers little-fettered access to a hotline to spread...

This commentary by Steve Early is about politics and war. The wars the US politically gets involved in, sends its young off to fight, and then leaves them pretty much stranded. It ain’t all John Wayne and scenes from the Alamo. Steve Early and I have been exchanging emails back and forth on VA healthcare. From what he tells me, he has picked up on our posting on healthcare. Just when you think no one is reading your work, a comment like this pops...

Prof. Heather giving a news report on the economy and what people are believing based on their politics. The economy has weathered a pandemic, inflation, supply chain events, a war in eastern Europe, dysfunctional Republicans, politics, trump, and it keeps on ticking. I expected more of a 2008 scenario with Congress and the Fed ravishing Labor as the troublemakers. October 27, 2023, Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson An...

Some BLS stats on High and Low Income consumers. The differences between the two, spending, what is bought, inflation, essentials, etc. Less is purchased and also more specific is bought by the lower end as compared to a variety of purchases at the upper end. Nice little and simple, readable report. Inflation Experiences for Lower and Higher Income Households, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov), Joshua Klick and Anya Stockburger...

From time to time I argue that the optimal strategy for Democrats is good old egalitarian populism: soak the rich and spread it out thin. I note the polls which have, for 3 decades now, shown that a majority of US adults think that upper income people and corporations pay less than their fair share in taxes and the fact that Bill Clinton, Obama, and Biden were elected promising to raise taxes on the rich and cut taxes on everyone else. I suppose...