Tag Archives: Hot Topics

Attacks on Red Sea shipping, and its tie to US energy consumption  – by New Deal democrat The drought in economic data continues today. So let me continue on the issue of energy, tying into yesterday’s note on hybrid and electric vehicles. Here’s an eye-opening graph from JP Morgan via Carl Quintanilla’s social media feed, showing an 80% decline in shipping through the Suez Canal following Houthi attacks on commercial vessels at the entrance...

Follow-up to “Why is Boeing such a shitty corporation?” Angry Bear, by Robert Reich Assebly Issue – Boeing 737 Max Plug Bolts not specifications. No defective parts, just defective assembly. As I said to Ron . . . “The same with cars. For example, Testing on vehicles such as smashing into a wall (commonly seen on TV) shoulda, woulda, etc. been done. Cabin pressurization? I would think testing was done on this item installed too? Is there a...

A discussion: EV sales have been stalling, while hybrids are flying off dealer lots  – by New Deal democrat In addition to housing, the other big area where supply shock inflation has not completely resolved is vehicles. Basically almost the entirety of 2020 production was lost, leading to roughly a 10 million vehicle shortfall in the amount necessary to replace old vehicles. As the below graph shows, while new vehicles cost no more in “real”...

I read this article “MAGA warning to Dems is right on target.” An OpEd by the NY Post. Others may disagree, I believe it to be nonsensical. Just some rich guy saying, I like it like this. Don’t change it. There is a lot saying he is wrong. Adding the detail in brevity. You can always click on a link to get more detail. Here is Jamie Dimon comping trump and Biden on the economy. What do you think he is worried about over the next four years? First,...

The Bonddad Blog: Are working class wages really still a malady? New Deal democrat Via Kevin Drum, NY Times columnist Nick Kristof says, “There isn’t a good term for the bundle of pathologies that have afflicted working-class Americans . . . .” “One gauge of how many Americans are struggling is that average weekly nonsupervisory wages, a metric for blue-collar earnings, were lower in the first half of 2023 than they had been (adjusted for...

I suspect some of the magnitude of job increasing claims are subsiding with the automotive sector backing off on EV vehicles. The trend is there. It will grow over time. The US tires of having to deal with medical supply issues during the pandemic, semiconductors, and the supply chain. The backup of containers on the west coast gave great emphasis on fixing the issues. Reshoring and FDI Jobs Increase a Record 53% at the End of 2022, plastics...

January 17, 2023, Letters from an American, Prof, Heather Cox Richardson Texas attorney general Ken Paxton responded this evening to the federal government’s demand that state troops give U.S. Border Patrol agents access to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, the site where three migrants died last week as they tried to cross the Rio Grande.  Aarón Torres and Joseph Morton of The Dallas Morning News reported that Paxton’s letter acknowledged that...

It appears like someone is waking up to a reality. When they can, corporations will take advantage of an economic event to increase margins resulting in increasing profits. They will call up and say they are increasing prices, take it or leave it. When your customer is one of the big three, you take it. And, you will not be able to pass along the pricing increase. One scenario, I experienced. Prices are simply the sum of costs and corporate...

I remember reading SI occasionally when I was a kid. I liked the writing and the photos. As a long-distance runner, I was mostly interested in articles on track, cross-country and marathons. I wasn’t interested in ball sports. And don’t get me started on calling auto racing a “sport.”I see where Sports Illustrated is on the ropes. It’s another symptom of the collapse of the dead tree journalism industry. I’ve certainly contributed to that collapse by...

Just below, I express my shock caused by the disappearance of basic copy editing, blocking, and tackling at The New York TImes, but, in this article, I want to discuss substance. The article on what President Nixon did in 1979 is, aside from that little slip, very interesting. It notes that people in Taiwan are worried about Xi Jin Ping (rationally) and don’t trust the USA to protect them (very very rational). However, they don’t seem to feel...