Tag Archives: US EConomics

New home sales and prices: yet another confirmation of a bottom in sales, while prices continue to decline YoY  – by New Deal democrat The last of the monthly updates for new home construction, new home sales, was reported this morning. And it continued the theme from the other data (permits, starts, existing home sales); namely, the bottom in sales appears to be in, while prices are still declining. First, on sales: new home sales...

When I read this (third article below), I thought of an earlier commentary by one of our peer-reviewed economists. This is what Robert Waldman had to say: “Investors are glad to pay the Treasury to keep their wealth safe. Now consider the US Federal Government intertemporal budget constraint — the present value of spending must be less than or equal to the present value of revenue. What is the present value of revenue ? It is calculated by...

What should President Biden do if Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling?  What should he say he will do, in advance, to avoid a catastrophe and gain leverage in negotiations?  The answer to these questions is far from clear. Krugman and Klein on unorthodox legal strategies Paul Krugman argues that the administration should do something – anything – to avoid a debt default.  He doesn’t care about the details – platinum coin, consul...

Labor has gained since the pandemic, but corporations have been sucking up the lion’s share of those gains . . .  – by New Deal democrat I neglected to add a link to my Weekly Indicators piece at Seeking Alpha on Saturday, so here it is. Also, I’ve been trying to understand why, with all of the long and short leading indicators lined up in almost classic formation, no recession has started yet. I discussed that in another piece at Seeking...

My old Michigan standby on the PPACA. If there was something I needed to know, I could always count on Charles knowing the answer. I believe some of the state and federal politicians also relied on Charles for information. What is also kind of cool is Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issuing a directive on Medicaid re-enrollment. The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, passed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, required Medicaid...

I had read the JAMA Network version of this report although I could not get into the Full Text version. You can find a more open version by using a New in Private Window. Cliff notes . . . the polluting company paid for moving the people. In which, the health of the people, the children improved. The options are move the company or move the people. The findings from articles? “Children whose families participated in a program that helped them move...

A long and good NYT take on why poverty continues to exist, stays stagnant or continues to grow in one of the richest nations in the world and the most capable of all to end poverty. A good read. “Those who have amassed the most power and capital bear the most responsibility for America’s vast poverty. Political elites have utterly failed low-income Americans over the past half-century. Corporate bosses have spent and schemed to prioritize...

What I like about this Issue-Brief is the use of terminology we see, not knowing what it means, and seeing a description or definition. I have added links so as to do a deeper dive into the terminology. Carefully read, a person can garner an understanding of initial drug costs, intermediate costs, discounts, and what pricing results to the consumer. It is not pretty and reflects much pricing rent-taking over the last two or so years, blaming...

Joseph Stiglitz is calling for an honest and open debate on the debt ceiling and future expenditures and whether there is any relationship between the two. He states the expansion of the debt ceiling has no relationship between it and laws having future expenditures. The debt ceiling has no bearing on legal expenditures. It is about raising the debt ceiling to meet the expenditure congressional acts. Mostly a Stiglitz Opinion piece with some...

Housing update: sales have bottomed, prices in process  – by New Deal democrat No important economic news today. Yesterday existing home sales were released, but their economic impact isn’t all that important, except as it can confirm what has been happening with new houses under construction. And confirmation is what it gave us. First, *sales* of houses have bottomed, following the peak in mortgage rates over 7% at the end of last October....