Tag Archives: US EConomics

I have been sharing New Deal democrats Weekly Indicators with an Edward Jones consultant who handles our funds. He was pretty impressed with the detail New Deal democrat gives here and at Seeking Alpha. He has his own account so he can go every week (I am limited). If have some time, you should explore NDd’s stats. Weekly Indicators for November 6 – 10 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat My Weekly Indicators post is up at Seeking...

Maybe $88 billion and $140 billion will get your attention? Congress does not blink an eye at this expenditure. Received an email from PNHP’s Kip Sullivan who is knowledgeable on Single Payer and Medicare Advantage healthcare plans. Whenever he writes an article, he sends me an email so Angry Bear can be first in line to place it on the blogosphere. Computer was down and I am a couple of days late in posting his commentary. If you are unaware...

Consumption leads (longer term) unemployment, too  – by New Deal democrat Once again there is no new economic data, so let me follow up some more on the issue of longer term unemployment. Earlier this week I pointed out that just as initial claims lead continuing claims, so does short term unemployment (under 5 weeks) lead long term unemployment (15 weeks and over). Think of unemployment as a pipeline, and the intake flows before the main...

When I started as a PhD student at UNC-Chapel Hill, my stipend as an NIH trainee was $3900/year (ca. $20K in today’s dollars). When I started as a postdoc at Washington University in 1982, my salary was $12,800 (ca. $41K in today’s dollars). At the time, I regarded this as the opportunity cost of PhD and postdoc training. 2023 me is satisfied that I was able to make up that opportunity cost on the spreadsheet, not to mention job satisfaction that...

Scenes from the October jobs report: soft landing vs. continued slow deceleration  – by New Deal democrat  First, an editorial note: economic news is light this week, so don’t be surprised if I play hooky for a day or two. That being said, let’s take a look at the most important trends, as I see them, from Friday’s employment report. The Big Question is, are we having a proverbial “soft landing?” Or is that just an illusory phase on...

This is mostly a recital of an article by Peterson-KFF (March 2022) on medical debt as held by average people. A few tweaks here and there. The article content adds another block of reasoning to the foundation for Medicare for All, single payer, etc. It is long and I know some who have short attention spans. Myself? I like numbers as it tells me more in a direct fashion than decipher words and intent. If you have a few minutes, read it and scan the...

Weekly Indicators for October 30 – November 3 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat My Weekly Indicators post is up at Seeking Alpha. One way I keep track of the producer side of the economy is via the long leading indicator of corporate profits and the short leading indicator of the stock market. As is implied, the former has a long history of leading the latter. Except that the stock market turned down in 2022 before profits did and...

New Deal democrat’s October Jobs report is again featured at Angry Bear. You can also pick-up the September 2023 Jobs Report from the link at the end of this report. This is the most complete monthly review on Unemployment Rate, average hourly earnings (minus management), which way job growth or decline is going, and a summary. NDd also writes at Seeking Alpha and does a Weekly Indicator Report there also. He has been writing at Angry Bear for a few...

I agree with Lloyd’s dad Gabe and also Lloyd. Big trucks including construction vehicles exceed the speed limit. Their weight does not enable them to stop in short distances. The results of a collision with automobiles is catastrophic with people in cars being seriously injured or dying. The volumes being moved long distances are better served by rail to nearby land ports and off loaded to short haul trucks. This is what mostly occurs with loads...

Initial claims: were the recent lows just unresolved seasonality after all?  – by New Deal democrat Initial jobless claims rose 5,000 to a 7 week high of 217,000 this week. The 4 week moving average rose 2,000 to 210,000 from its 9 month low of 208,000 last week. With the usual one week delay, continuing claims continued their recent sharp ascent, up 35,000 to 1.818 million. Aside from 2 weeks in April, this is the highest level of continuing...