Tag Archives: US EConomics

Weekly Indicators for August 5 – 9 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up, a day later than usual, at Seeking Alpha. While there was some excitement at the racetrack Monday as stocks just missed making a new 3 month low by a hair, the more exciting news by the end of Friday was . . . mortgage rates made a new 12 month low, and mortgage refinancing is showing signs of life again. As usual, clicking over...

In my lifetime, I’ve seen plenty of changes. The business model for recorded music (LPs, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, streaming), the business model for movies (theaters, Blockbuster, online), the business model for cameras (film SLRs, digital SLRs, mirrorless), the model for lecture presentations (live with chalkboard, live with overhead projector, live with Powerpoint, online recorded) all come to mind.It should hardly be surprising that the business...

Residential building construction and spending sound a warning for goods-producing employment – by New Deal democrat The final data point from last week that I wanted to catch up on was construction spending, and especially residential construction and spending. As reported last week, in June total nominal spending declined -0.3% in June, but is higher 6.2% YoY. The more leading residential sector also showed a -0.4% decline, and is higher...

American colleges and universities are the envy of the world. The American higher education system is an important driver of the economy.There are those who sneer at the educated. They only expose their insecurity. In JD Vance, Donald Trump has chosen a running mate who has publicly stated that he sees colleges and universities as “the enemy.” Ironic, because Vance is both a college grad and a graduate of the elite Yale law school.Your doctor? S/he...

 – by New Deal democrat Officially reported initial jobless claims declined -17,000 to 233,000 last week. The four-week moving average rose 750 to 240,750. With the typical one-week delay, continuing claims rose 6,000 to 1.875 million, the highest number since November 17, 2021: On the more important YoY basis, initial claims were down -9.7%, while the 4-week average was nigher by 0.3%. Continuing claims were higher by 5.8%, up by more than...

Boeing . . . Door Plugs Will be Harder to Lose Still explaining why . . . After a door plug blew out on a Boeing 737 Max 9 this January, the National Transportation Safety Board sprung into action trying to get to the bottom of what happened and why. That inquiry is continuing this week with a series of hearings designed to more fully understand why the door plug blew out. The agency said. “A​fter the hearing, the NTSB will use the...

FTC to Launch Inquiry into Higher Grocery Prices by Lucille Barilla @ Retail Wire FTC Chair Lina M. Khan highlighted the FTC’s recent work to stop corporate lawbreaking that raises prices for Americans, including uncovering evidence of corporate conduct that may raise the price of gas, grocery prices, working to lower the cost of many asthma inhalers to just $35 out-of-pocket, and making it easier for Americans to cancel online subscriptions...

The US economy appears to be emerging from the recent recession (pace the Fed interest rate decisions). There’s a general consensus that that recession was largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent supply chain disruptions. What lessons might be learned on how to maximally blunt the impact of future pandemics while minimizing negative economic consequences?Here’s a cross-sectional analysis including all 50 US states plus the District of...

– by New Deal democrat Continuing my catching up this week, let’s take a look in some further detail about why I didn’t think Friday’s jobs report portended recession – at least, not yet. As I always point out, the jobs report does contain some leading numbers. These are generally employment in more cyclical industries that, when they turn down, start the cascade into the broader economy. Generally speaking, these are all goods-producing...

There’s a lot of attention being paid these days to EVs and solar power, but there are plenty of other ways to decarbonize human activity. Public transportation is one. I’m certainly no stranger to public transportation. I didn’t have a car in college, so when I visited my grandmother in Johnstown or my sister in Philadelphia, I took the Greyhound. When I visited my folks in Manhattan, I got around by subway. My wife and I didn’t have a car in grad...