Mike Norman Economics

Annual inflation rate stands at 2.3%, lowest in Russian history. Russia FeedRussia’s inflation rate continues its plungeAlexander

Putin is taking a new tack politically positioning himself way from the unpopular liberals and toward the socialists. His most serious competition is from Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin. who is widely expected to place second. This is bad news for Western liberals looking for liberal populist regime change in Russia. Now they are looking at a return to socialist rule as the alternative to Putin. For Russ Putin's 2018 Election Campaign: A New Beginning?Eduard Popov -...

When it comes to covering protests in other countries, it seems any vague picture of brown people protesting can stand in for those actually on the streets expressing their grievances. Since the outbreak of protests across Iran three weeks ago, several major outlets have used pictures of demonstrations in the United States, France, or United Kingdom—organized by a fringe, cult-like group, Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK)—in place of images of the entirely unaffiliated protesters, 6,000 miles away,...

Asia TimesDemand for AI talent in China doubles in 2017 China tops mobile game market worldwide China aims to lead international industry standards

Good news. Those funds will mostly be spent and flow into the economy.Hopefully, other firms will follow suit.ReutersWalmart uses lower U.S. tax bill to raise minimum wage to $11 an hourNandita BoserelatedLars P. Syll’s BlogThe minimum wage mythLars P. Syll | Professor, Malmo UniversityalsoHarvard Business ReviewIf Retailers Want to Compete with Amazon, They Should Use Their Tax Savings to Raise WagesZeynep Ton | adjunct associate professor in the operations management group at MIT’s Sloan...

Not just the FBI. Brennan and Clapper deeply involved in politicizing intelligence. But the main casualty is the FBI’s 18-month campaign to sabotage candidate-and-now-President Donald Trump by using the Obama administration’s Russia-gate intelligence “assessment,” electronic surveillance of dubious legality, and a salacious dossier that could never pass the smell test, while at the same time using equally dubious techniques to immunize Hillary Clinton and her closest advisers from crimes...

New evidence that Washington broke its promise not to expand NATO “one inch eastward”—a fateful decision with ongoing ramifications—has not been reported by The New York Times or other agenda-setting media outlets. The American excuse is that the promise was not given in writing. So much for one's word and the nation's honor. Do that repeatedly, as the US has even to the point of breaking treaties unilaterally, and the nation gets the reputation of not being able to keep its agreements....

If we get inflation, it could be minus wage pressure across the board but only in places were the labor supply is short. Ordinary workers may not see much relief in the expansion, replicating their situation in the long and slow recovery period, owing to structural shifts in the economy — downsizing, offshoring, automation and robotics, etc.Asia TimesThere ain’t-a no Phillipsy Curve, once again David P. Goldman

Usual "out of money!" rant from these disgraced people:Medicaid's purpose is to provide access to medically necessary health care to persons who, because of limited resources, have less capacity to secure care for themselves. AEI's James Capretta explores reforms that will improve the system: https://t.co/UpdKTPaDtw pic.twitter.com/G8SaY0Rtvm— AEI (@AEI) January 11, 2018

UFB.  Yeah driving over a bridge should be a coin flip whether it will fall down good idea. These people are out there folks... It's so much more important for high-schoolers to learn basic statistics than for them to learn trigonometry -- whoever made that decision 150 years ago should be exhumed and fired — Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) January 11, 2018 Then here this journo (shocking...) endorses it as if on cue: +1with a hearty AMEN. Statistics was unbelievably useful to me, to this...