Category: US Economy
The news items published under this category are as follows.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Unemployment Crisis Grips U.S. States / Economics / US Economy
By: Global_Research
Tom Eley writes: The unemployment rate increased in 48 of 50 states and Washington, DC, in May, according to US Department of Labor statistics. For the year as a whole, the jobless rate has increased in every state, and in eight states it is now at its highest level since 1976, when monthly state-level statistics were first issued by the federal government. The national jobless rate in May rose to 9.4 percent.
Monday, June 22, 2009
The US Economy: Recession, Depression and Monetary Mismanagement / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
The Institute for Supply Management reports that May was the "16th consecutive month of contraction in the manufacturing sector". Even though the contraction appears to be slowing the demand for capital goods continues to drop with no sign of a reversal in sight as of yet. Of course, this fall in demand has hit the producers of capital goods. In the meantime unemployment continues to rise with some commentators expecting it to reach 11 per cent before the year is out and maybe even climb to 12 per cent next year. Therefore the current signs suggest the US could be sliding into an actual depression, if it isn't there already.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Is Economic Recovery Closer Than You Think? / Economics / US Economy
By: Q1_Publishing
The divide between bull and bear camps is growing wider each day.
There isn’t much middle ground. You’re either in it, waiting for a pullback, or waiting for the collapse.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Worst of the U.S. Recession Over / Economics / US Economy
By: Pravda
Oil prices soared above $71 a barrel Wednesday to reach a 2009 high, as investors poured money into crude markets to protect themselves against the inflation risks posed by a weakening U.S. dollar.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
What the Dramatic Turn in the U.S. Saving Rate Could Mean to You / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_and_Markets
Claus Vogt writes: During the past few weeks of exciting “green shoot” news, a very important economic statistic has been ignored: The U.S. saving rate.
U.S. citizens have been saving less and less since the early 1980s. And the saving rate even turned negative during the height of the real estate bubble.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, June 04, 2009
United States Destined to Become the Great Britain of the 21st Century? / Economics / US Economy
By: James_Quinn
WHO ARE THOSE GUYS - Sheriff Ray Bledsoe: [to Butch and Sundance] You should have let yourself get killed a long time ago when you had the chance. See, you may be the biggest thing that ever hit this area, but you're still two-bit outlaws. I never met a soul more affable than you, Butch, or faster than the Kid, but you're still nothing but two-bit outlaws on the dodge. It's over, don't you get that? Your times is over and you're gonna die bloody, and all you can do is choose where.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
GM Bankruptcy, There Goes The Country / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Browne
Yesterday, after a painfully long death spiral, General Motors finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Oftentimes, bankruptcy portends rebirth. Unfortunately, the politically-inspired GM plan holds no such possibilities. Under the current deal, the restructuring of GM will cost taxpayers some $100 billion (after the hidden costs of interest and refinancing are included). Even then, it is highly unlikely that GM will ever be competitive or that its debts will ever be repaid. Far worse, the massive government bailout will delay rather than encourage broader economic recovery. And yet, U.S. stock markets rose on the GM announcement as if it were good news.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Are the US Consumers Ready to Go Shopping Again? / Economics / US Economy
By: Mark_OByrne
The recent Consumer Confidence survey conducted in the US revealed a surprising increase in consumer confidence for the month of May. In marked contrast to the previous few months, May's figure was the highest it has been since September 2008. However, while better than at the start of the year, the figure remains at historically depressed levels. Furthermore, US house prices have dropped over 18% in March from the same period last year.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Economy / Politics / US Economy
By: Kevin_Geary
An Original Children's Story in Pictures and Words by Kevin Geary ©2009
One day, the Bankers came to Congress and said, "We're completely broke!"
Friday, May 15, 2009
Why the Economy Will Recover Differently This Time / Economics / US Economy
By: Hans_Wagner
Eventually the economy will stop declining and start to recover. The manner in which it recovers will provide investors substantial profits if they have a well-founded theme to base their investing strategy. This recession is the result of substantive changes in the economy that will be with us for years to come. Once the recover begins, we should have a good idea how each sector will deal with a stumble along economy. Since the stock market anticipates a recovery by rallying earlier, it is important for investors to be prepared for the changes that are coming.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
A Candid Message For President Obama To Give Away At The G20 / Politics / US Economy
By: Eric_Chevrette
Mr. President, As you are going to participate to a crucial G20 , I thought you may need a special message for your own interest in the first instance then for keeping the G20 participants fully informed on how serious the situation has grown to be. Of course, you will tell me that anyone is already informed in details about the severity of the current situation and my help should be useless. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Cost of Running a Global Empire / Politics / US Economy
By: James_Quinn
Generals gathered in their masses Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of deaths construction
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Noam Chomsky on Geithner the U.S. Economy and Democracy / Politics / US Economy
By: Submissions
Video & Transcript -
Chomsky: Plan is recycled Bush/Paulson. We need nationalization and steps towards democratization. Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
United States Economy, U.S. Dollar and the China Factor / Economics / US Economy
By: Jim_Willie_CB
A crisis of global confidence in the US Dollar is upon us. Foreigners have begun to lose respect for USGovt approach to problem solving, for US bank administration, and for US Dollar custodial management. Foreigner creditors have suffered deep losses from fraudulent bond export, continue to sit atop mountains of US$-based debt securities, and watch current events in horror. The heap of moldy paper includes both USTreasury Bonds and USAgency Mortgage Bonds. Foreigner creditors see the US Dollar valuation propped up by liquidation forces rather than US Economic strength. Foreigner creditors see the USTBond yields forced down by liquidation forces rather than USGovt debt integrity. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
When the United States Ruled the World / Economics / US Economy
By: James_Quinn
I used to rule the world Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, March 09, 2009
Collapse of the United States, Repeating the Same Mistakes as the Soviet Union / Economics / US Economy
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Author Dmitry Orlov in the following video explains why the United States must work on creating a new economy rather than patching the old failed economy as the United States following the same trajectory as the former Soviet Union around debt, politics, militariasm and energy that ended in total economic and political collapse. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
The Old Consumer Economy Faces A New Era Of Thrift / Economics / US Economy
By: Guy_Lerner
The troubles in the financial markets over the last year will lead to a new era of thrift, and this will be radically different than the past 20 years of excesses as consumers change their habits. Consumers are already retrenching and increasing their savings amongst the economic uncertainty, but I think these changes portend an even deeper shift in personal behavior. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
The Other Looming $7 Trillion Financial Crisis: Social Security / Politics / US Economy
By: Money_and_Markets
Nilus Mattive writes: My new retirement report just went to press yesterday, so the material is fresh in my mind. And while I can't share the contents with you here in Money and Markets , there is one topic in that report that I want to talk about today. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
The End of the Consumer Credit Empire: Stairway to Retail Heaven / Economics / US Economy
By: James_Quinn
There's a lady who's sure All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Why the U.S. Economy is Designed to Fail / Politics / US Economy
By: Richard_C_Cook
President Barack Obama showed a great deal of gumption in standing before Congress last night delivering his first speech to the joint assembly. All the trappings of power were on display as members of the House and Senate, the Supreme Court, the Joint Chiefs, the Cabinet, and the VIP guests hugged and waved at each other, radiant in their tailored attire only two nights after the Hollywood stars put on their own show on Oscar night.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
How Can the U.S. Economy Recover Without Manufacturing Capacity? / Politics / US Economy
By: Submissions
"You can't put people to work in American factories that don't exist." Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
How the US Economy Was Lost / Economics / US Economy
By: Submissions
Paul Craig Roberts writes:
The American economy has gone away. It is not coming back until free trade myths are buried six feet under. America's 20th century economic success was based on two things. Free trade was not one of them. America's economic success was based on protectionism, which was ensured by the union victory in the Civil War, and on British indebtedness, which destroyed the British pound as world reserve currency. Following World War II, the US dollar took the role as reserve currency, a privilege that allows the US to pay its international bills in its own currency. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Pessimism Ahead of Friday's NonFarm Payrolls Jobs Report / Economics / US Economy
By: Michael_Pento
Any Hope for Job Growth? - This Friday's release on nonfarm payrolls will shine a burning light on our nation's need to promote growth and create new jobs. After losing 2.7 million jobs in 2008, projections are to start off 2009 with a 1/2 million reduction in payrolls. The unemployment rate which closed the year at 7.2% is expected to climb to 7.4% in this latest report.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
America and the Creation of an Economic Frankenstein / Politics / US Economy
By: Oxbury_Research
Jim McTague has been writing articles for Barron's for a very long time. He's a better journalist than I and likely earns more money. He writes a column called D.C. Current for the august investment weekly and boasts the title Washington Editor. For my part… well, it's not nice to boast. The only thing the two of us may have in common is a Northern Irish distaste for all things orange and a love of the Pogues. The fact that our grandfathers once put the boots to a black and tan before his went and ratted out mine, I'll leave to another time. Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Obituary of the Too Much Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Submissions
Our economy is in the process of burying the corpse of Too Much at the corner of Wall Street and Broad. Pall bearers will carry this leveraged ponzi scheme past the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank seeking alms from the poor. Our elected Representatives have decided the corpse will lie in state at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol until these United States are bled to third world status.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 23, 2009
Unemployment: How Do We Measure A Shortage Of Work? / Economics / US Economy
By: Ronald_R_Cooke
A Modest Proposal - According to the U. S. Department of Labor (DOL), employers cut 524,000 jobs in December, 2008. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 7.2%. That’s bad news for a struggling economy. Unemployed people have fewer spending options. They tend to buy only what they absolutely need. Food tops the list. Rent or mortgage payments come next. Then utility bills, emergency medical expenses, and money for transportation – most likely in the form of car or truck payments and fuel. Purchases of clothing, a new car, electronics, toys, and so on can be deferred. Savings erode all too quickly. Personal confidence ebbs. Family life is strained.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Social Mood Will Define The Economic Future / Politics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Boomers have known only inflationary or reflationary conditions for most, if not all of their conscious lives. Here is the pattern: Want, work, borrow, spend, enjoy, and worry about the bills tomorrow, as if tomorrow would never come. Now tomorrow is dawning, the bills are due, and boomers are now entering end of life with a need to consume what they perceived would be a treasure chest of accumulated wealth that would allow them to sustain their inflationary lifestyles to life's end.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Last Nail in the Coffin for the U.S. Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_and_Markets
Martin Weiss writes: The government has just released one of the most shocking federal budget reports of all time.
Even if you overlook the gaping holes in their economic assumptions, it's obvious the federal deficit is going to deliver a punch below the belt of the economy.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
U.S. Consumer Booms Inevitable Bust / Economics / US Economy
By: Oxbury_Research
A Nation Named Desire - Classic film buffs will be familiar with the 1951 film – A Streetcar Named Desire – which starred Marlon Brando and Vivian Leigh. My favorite scene in the film involves Blanche DuBois (Vivian Leigh) and Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando).
Blanche DuBois is a fallen woman – her family fortune and estate are gone. In an absolutely classic line, Blanche says to Stanley Kowalski - “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Obama Ups U.S. Job Creation Program to 4 Million / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
While increasing his jobs creation forecast to 4 million jobs, Obama Calls for Sacrifice, Scaling Back Campaign Promises . President-elect Barack Obama said turning around the U.S. economy will require cutting back on some campaign promises and personal sacrifice from Americans.
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Friday, January 02, 2009
United States a Banana Republic? / Economics / US Economy
By: Michael_Pento
Well, agriculturally speaking the answer is no: the United States has minimal banana production and the four leading exporters of the fruit are all located south of the Tropic of Cancer. Sadly, however, once you “peel” away the façade, the U.S. has recently embraced economic policies that could soon lead us to carrying the moniker of “banana republic.” Hanlon, being the optimist that he is, gets a little queasy when I use such phrases, but since respectable figures such as Steve Forbes and Larry Kudlow have even raised the question lately, he'll hold his nose and indulge me here!Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, December 27, 2008
What Happened to the American Dream? / Politics / US Economy
By: James_Quinn
“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." --Historian and writer James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book Epic of America. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, December 12, 2008
Our Asset Value Trend Dependent Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Tim_Iacono
The Federal Reserve's latest Flow of Funds Report contains some painful news about how our asset-dependent economy is faring in what is now an increasingly asset-averse world. This time around we have double the trouble as prices for both stocks and housing are declining. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, November 28, 2008
Retail Sales to Suffer in 2009 as U.S. Consumers Cut Spending / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_Morning
Jennifer Yousfi writes: Retail experts are predicting one of the most dismal holiday shopping seasons in decades this year – a crucial stretch that will set the stage for poor retail sales throughout 2009. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Obama Unveils Economic Team and 2.5 Million Job Stimulus Plan / Politics / US Economy
By: Money_Morning
Jason Simpkins writes: President-elect Barack Obama yesterday (Monday) formally unveiled his economic team, including the nomination of New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy F. Geithner as the new administration's U.S. Treasury secretary. The team's first challenge will be assembling an economic stimulus package that could be even larger than the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) the Bush Administration has deployed.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Black Friday Approaches for Retailers as Holiday Shopping Season Begins / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_Morning
William Patalon III writes: As Thanksgiving approaches, the American people should be thankful for the declining gasoline prices that help enable many of them to afford holiday travel this year. Speaking of the holiday, after the traditional bird has been devoured, one additional time honored tradition remains – shopping. The Friday after Thanksgiving, known as “Black Friday,” represents the official start of the holiday shopping season. Historically, it is the day that retailers moved out of the “red” (losses) and into the “black” (profits).Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Obama's First Moves on the Financial Crisis and Foreign Policy / Politics / US Economy
By: STRATFOR
Three weeks after the U.S. presidential election, we are getting the first signs of how President-elect Barack Obama will govern. That now goes well beyond the question of what is conventionally considered U.S. foreign policy — and thus beyond Stratfor's domain. At this moment in history, however, in the face of the global financial crisis , U.S. domestic policy is intimately bound to foreign policy. How the United States deals with its own internal financial and economic problems will directly affect the rest of the world. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
UK Inflation CPI Falls Sharply as Economy Heads for Deflation / Economics / US Economy
By: Nadeem_Walayat
UK inflation as measured by the CPI slumped by the largest amount since the series began in 1997, falling from 5.2% to 4.5%. This follows hard on the heels of the Bank of England's panic 1.5% interest rate cut earlier in the month which was accompanied by BOE statements that UK economy would contract by 2% GDP during 2009, that puts the UK on target to experience a worse recession than that of the early 1990's as Gordon Browns boom turns to bust. The RPI measure which the BoE also warned was heading towards deflation i.e. a negative RPI during 2009 fell sharply from 5% to 4.2%.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 15, 2008
End of the Era of Big Consumer Spending / Economics / US Economy
By: Michael_J_Panzner
Friday morning, the Commerce Department announced that October retail sales fell 2.8%, the fourth straight drop and the worst one-month decline since records began in 1992. Stripping out sales of autos and gasoline, the year-over-year total rose just 1.5%, less than the rate of inflation and the worst 12-month rate of change since February 2003. Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For U.S. Financial Markets (Nov 17-21) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The week ahead in financial markets will see a modest quantity of data that will hit the tapes largely on Thursday and Friday. The major market moving events will be the Friday release of the October advance retail sales data and the Thursday release of the US Trade Balance, Jobless Claims and the US Budget Statement. On Friday in Frankfurt Germany, Fed Chair Bernanke and ECB President Trichet will lead a cast of global central banking all-stars that will address monetary policy within the current global financial crisis. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 10, 2008
U.S. Economic Pain Precedes Greatest Investment Opportunity of a Generation / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_Morning
Shah Gilani writes: If there's a proverb that captures the outlook for the U.S. economy in the New Year, it's the one that says: “It's always darkest before the dawn.”
Regardless of any formal announcement of whether or not the United States drops into an actual recession, the ongoing credit crisis guarantees a contraction of the American economy by virtually every measure we know. That period of darkness will be marked by a dramatic slowdown in economic activity, as well as by rising unemployment, additional declines in U.S. stock prices, and constant volatility. It could last as long as 12-18 months.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For U.S. Financial Markets (Nov 10-14) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The week ahead in financial markets will see a modest quantity of data that will hit the tapes largely on Thursday and Friday. The major market moving events will be the Friday release of the October advance retail sales data and the Thursday release of the US Trade Balance, Jobless Claims and the US Budget Statement. On Friday in Frankfurt Germany, Fed Chair Bernanke and ECB President Trichet will lead a cast of global central banking all-stars that will address monetary policy within the current global financial crisis. Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Obama Could Avoid Depression by Rebuilding America's Crumbling Infrastructure / Economics / US Economy
By: Jennifer_Barry
On a daily basis, we drive on paved roads over bridges, take a hot shower, turn the lights on and off, and take out the trash. Most of us take these experiences for granted, expecting that our needs will be satisfied in a safe and convenient way. The universal availability of these services differentiates a modern country from a developing nation. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, November 07, 2008
Jobs Contract 10th Straight Month; Unemployment Soars To 6.5% / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Before taking a look at the monthly jobs data, let's take a look at weekly claims. The US Department of Labor is reporting Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims continue to rise. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, November 07, 2008
Non-Farm Payrolls Collapse in October as U.S. Unemployment Rate Soars / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The October estimate of non-farm payrolls saw firms reduce payrolls by -240K for the month and the rate of unemployment jump sharply to 6.5%. Revisions made by Labor Department subtract an additional -179K over the past two months. The decline in October's payroll tally has reduced employment by 1.2mln during the first 10 months of 2008, with over half of that total occurring over the past 90 days. The household survey saw a decline of -297K, which is above its three-month average of -287K. The number of unemployed individuals increased by 603K to 10.1mln in October.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
United States Entering its Darkest Period In History / Politics / US Economy
By: Dr_Janice_Dorn
As predicted in The Big Rollover Thesis that we first presented in 2005, we are on the cusp of entering the darkest period in history that most of us have ever experienced. The people that really know about this are the Silent Generation. They feel it intensely because they were either born into it or grew up in it. They want to speak about it, but are either silenced or in fear. At a time when we need their guidance, ageism is upon us, and no one wants to listen to them.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 03, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For U.S. Financial Markets (Nov 3-7) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The first week of November will see another heavy week of data releases on the calendar that will feature the first significant look at the data from the real economy in October, when the credit markets seized up. The primary market-moving event will be the Friday publication of the October estimate of non-farm payrolls that we expect to contract by -225K. The week will kick off with the release of the October ISM survey of manufacturing conditions nationwide, total vehicle sales and the construction spending report for September. Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, November 02, 2008
LIBOR Unfreezing as Fed Takes Aggressive Action to Boost Economy / Interest-Rates / US Economy
By: Prieur_du_Plessis
CNNMoney.com: Bernanke discusses future of Fannie and Freddie “Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that the federal government will need to continue to play a role in the future of the mortgage financing market.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 27, 2008
U.S. Government Spending the Economy into Oblivion / Politics / US Economy
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
With news this week that Congress is poised to consider a new stimulus package, I am forced to again ask a question that seems silly in Washington: How will we pay for this?Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For U.S. Financial Markets (Oct 27-31) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
After the heaviest week of Fed talk and macro data releases in recent memory, the calendar will see a very light week of rhetoric and economic releases. Monday, will see the publication of the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators, Thursday the weekly jobless claims data and the week will conclude with the publication of the September existing home sales. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, October 24, 2008
Upping the Economic Stimulus Dosage / Economics / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
Insanity is often defined as repeating the same action while expecting a different result. Recent Congressional activity to push through this year's second economic “stimulus” package certainly indicates that many of our political leaders may have special needs. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 20, 2008
U.S. States Face Tax Shortfalls, Frugality To Hit Budgets / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
The Los Angeles Times is reporting States face new budget shortfalls .The moribund economy is drying up tax revenues more dramatically than expected, forcing 22 states, including California, to confront growing budget gaps. Some states have already eliminated jobs and services -- and more cuts are likely.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For U.S. Financial Markets (Oct 20-24) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
After the heaviest week of Fed talk and macro data releases in recent memory, the calendar will see a very light week of rhetoric and economic releases. Monday, will see the publication of the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators, Thursday the weekly jobless claims data and the week will conclude with the publication of the September existing home sales.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Leading U.S. Economic Indicators Hit 33 Year Lows / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
The Economic Cycle Research Institute ECRI reports Weekly Leading Index Growth at 33-yr Low .
A measure of future economic growth in the United States fell to its worst level in 6 years and its annualized growth rate had its biggest weekly decline in almost four decades to hit a fresh 33-year low, a search group said on Friday.
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Friday, October 17, 2008
Reduced Gasoline Prices Provide Economic Relief, But May Not Change Consumer Outlook / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
Gasoline prices have seen a steep decline over the past three months. Since hitting a peak on July 20, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline has declined 52 cents, which should inject approximately $120 to $130 billion into the pocketbooks of consumers, with more expected on the way.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, October 17, 2008
U.S. Worsening Economic Outlook / Economics / US Economy
By: Michael_J_Panzner
This morning, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia announced that its general economic index for October fell from 3.8 in September to a much worse-than-forecast minus 37.5, the lowest level in nearly two decades. That follows yesterday's news that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's general economic index declined to a record low of minus 24.6, also below expectations. Together with another regularly updated index, the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank's manufacturing sector activity survey (October data has not yet been released), these indicators seem to make it clear that the economic outlook remains bleak. Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
U.S. Economy Still on Life Support / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Browne
On Monday October 13th , the Dow took the fifth biggest upward leap (in percentage terms) in its history and, most notably, since the 1930's. It appeared that Paulson and his fellow G-7 finance ministers had solved the credit crisis. Despite the fact that G-7 taxpayers will be stuck with $3.5 trillion of liabilities to support their governments' bailout plans, the stock markets nevertheless bustled with euphoria. The next day, reality dawned once again, and all markets closed down. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 13, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For U.S. Financial Markets (Oct 13-17) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The week of October 13-17 will see perhaps the most important week of macroeconomic data and Fed talk of the year. The weekend of Oct 10-12 will see the G-7 meeting in Washington where finance ministers will attempt to formulate a common policy to stem the damage to global financial markets. We expect them to consider guaranteeing all term lending at the meeting. The statements of Fed Chair Bernanke and ECB President Trichet can be expected to support whatever important decisions are arrived at the G-7 meeting. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 06, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For U.S. Financial Markets (Oct 6-10) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The week of October 6-10 will see a light week of economic data that will be dominated by the Tuesday FOMC minutes from the September 16 meeting and Fed Chair Ben Bernanke speech that same day. Other data to be released during the week will be the Wednesday pending home sales report for August and the weekly initial claims data on Thursday. The week will close with the publication of the August trade balance and the September import price estimate. Depending on events over the weekend out of the US Congress and perhaps the Fed, the market conditions may see a bit of volatility during the early part of next week over economic concerns and redemptions in the hedge fund community. Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Soaring Unemployment, Brace for Massive Job Losses / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Main Street and Wall Street both better be bracing for layoff because they are coming. I talked about that a bit in Jobs Contract 9th Consecutive Month . Mass Layoffs Rise
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Friday, October 03, 2008
US Non-Farm Payroll Jobs Contract for 9th Consecutive Month / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Before taking a look at the monthly jobs data, let's take a look at weekly claims. The US Department of Labor is reporting Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims continue to rise.
Seasonally Adjusted
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Thursday, October 02, 2008
US Employment Picture: September Non-Farm Payrolls Forecast / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The upcoming release of the September non-farm payrolls report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics will not provide much comfort to the market or the public. Our forecast implies that payrolls will decline -105K and that the rate of unemployment will increase to 6.2% for the month. The strike at Boeing and the displacement of workers in the Southeast due to the twin hurricanes that hit the area during the sampling period should send the headline estimate of job losses above the recent trend. The risk for the report is to the downside and we do expect that the rate of job destruction will increase in the coming months. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
US Economic Data and Events for September 30, 2008 / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
* The failure of the TARP on the floor of the House of Representatives has moved action towards overnight trading in Asia and early morning action in Europe. With the credit markets currently jammed up, volatility should be expected to shape the overnight action and the direction of US markets in early morning trading Tuesday.
• News flow will provide direction for the markets as Congress dithers over what action to take to stem the tide of the growing crisis. It does appear that the plan in its current form, or in another, will not be resubmitted to House until Thursday at the earliest.
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Monday, September 29, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For US Financial Markets (Sept 29-3rd Oct) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The week of September 29-October 3 will see very important data that will provide information on the condition of the consumer and the labor sector. The major data risk for the week will occur with the Monday release of the August personal and income statement and the Friday publication of the September estimate of non-farm payrolls. We look for modest declines in real spending and a loss of -105K payrolls with the unemployment rate increasing to 6.2%. Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For US Financial Markets (Sept 22-26) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The week of September 22-26 will see a modest week of US macro data. However, given the dislocation in the markets, the upcoming week will provide a test to see if recent steps taken by global central banks and the immanent mergers of large financial's can inject a measure of confidence and stability into markets. The major data releases for the week will be the publication of the existing homes sales and new home sales data for August on Tuesday and Thursday respectively. The durable goods report will be released on Wednesday and the weekly jobless claims report will be published on Thursday. The week will conclude with the final estimate of Q2'08 GDP and the consumer sentiment report from the University of Michigan. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, September 19, 2008
The United States Becoming an Impoverished Nation / Politics / US Economy
By: Richard_C_Cook
Everything the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury Department are trying to do to stem the tide of the self-destructing U.S. financial system is a stopgap. They are locking the barn door after the horse—many horses—have already escaped, and they know it.
They also know the cause of the crisis is not subprime mortgage lending—that was just the trigger. Cries to re-regulate the failed financial industry are coming from Congress, the media, and investors around the world. But lax regulation is not the cause of the problem either.
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Saturday, September 13, 2008
Banana Backed Securities Turning United States into a Banana Republic / Stock-Markets / US Economy
By: David_Petch
Imagine if you will the US government finally after nearly 50 years opened the vaults of Fort Knox for an inventory of gold by an "External Auditor". There have been claims by the folks of the US Government of audits as recent as one year ago…there are a number of thoughts regarding IF there is in fact any gold present in Fort Knox. This article is not intended to debate the above thought, but to metaphorically "think" what they truly would find within the vaults of Fort Knox. My thoughts are that opening the vault of Fort Knox as above would result in seeing it filled with bananas…quite a contrast to the expected yellow objects "thought" to be contained behind tonnes of steel.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
US Hiring Intentions Lowest In 17 Years: Manpower / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
MarketWatch, citing data from Manpower, is reporting Glum outlook on jobs .Unless you work in the oil, gas or related mining industries, the job market is unlikely to look brighter in the fourth quarter, and even retailers are glum about hiring for the upcoming holiday season, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
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Monday, September 08, 2008
US Economy Confounds Economic Pundits / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
What gives here? The Commerce Department reports that GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.3 per cent while unemployment rose to 6.1 per cent, giving partisan commentators enough ammunition to attack each other. Politically I'm a very conservative man who thoroughly detests the Democratic Party and who tends to think of most journalists as nothing better than leftwing cockroaches, an opinion that has been greatly strengthened by the media's disgusting attacks on Sarah Palin. Nevertheless, the one thing I will never do is bend economics for partisan reasons. To do so would be to cheat my readers.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, September 05, 2008
US Employment Data Gives Sobering Does of Economic Reality / Economics / US Economy
By: Andy_Sutton
In the 1980's, the Ford Motor Company used the slogan “Quality is Job #1”. This was helpful in their campaign to compete with their Japanese counterparts who were perceived to have higher quality automobiles. It would seem, based on recent trends in the employment market that government is now Job #1. This morning's employment situation report contained some real shockers, the biggest being that the US unemployment rate is now at 6.1%, jumping from 5.7% a month ago. Out of the 7 subsectors tracked in the report, only government and education/healthcare are expanding. Since a good percentage of education and healthcare expenditures are financed either directly or indirectly by the government, it would seem that Uncle Sam is about the only one hanging out a Help Wanted sign these days. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, September 05, 2008
GDP Deflator Fantasyland as Investor Wealth disappears Down the Rabbit Hole / Economics / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
In recent months, investors have been unjustly chastised for their lack of consistency. In truth, they have an unblemished record of drawing the wrong conclusions. Last week’s 2nd quarter GDP report provides the freshest evidence of market cluelessness. In its report, the Commerce Department stunned economy watchers by showing a 3.3% annualized increase in 2nd Quarter GDP. The robust growth apparently wrong-footed those expecting further recessionary signals, lent further strength to the current dollar rally, and encouraged previously cautious investors to take another look at U.S. stocks.
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Friday, September 05, 2008
US Unemployment Soars as Jobs Decline for 8th Consecutive Month / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Before taking a look at the monthly jobs data, let's take a look at weekly claims. The US Department of Labor is reporting Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims continue to rise.
Seasonally Adjusted
In the week ending Aug. 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 444,000, an increase of 15,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 429,000. The 4-week moving average was 438,000, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of 441,250.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
US Economy Second Half Stimulus and Bailouts Bounce? / Economics / US Economy
By: Brady_Willett
With U.S. home prices crashing, inflation expectations rising, and consumer confidence plummeting, you would think that the U.S. economy would be shedding jobs at a pace comparable, at minimum, to previous recessions. This hasn't been the case, at least not yet. Rather, despite posting job losses in each of the last 7-months U.S. nonfarm payrolls have held up surprisingly well this year. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Contradictory Economic Reports Whipsaw Investor Expectations / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_Morning
William Patalon III writes: No wonder this economy is so hard to figure out: The economic reports are as volatile as the economy itself.
Just when the dreaded "R" word seemed to be creeping back into the daily office chatter, a few economic reports last week seemed to reaffirm that the enhanced pessimism may be a tad bit early.
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Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Tale of Two Shopping Malls / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_Tustain
"...Overcapacity – first of credit, then of real estate – drove the price of renting sharply lower, bankrupting cautious investors along with big borrowers..."
A TEXAN CUSTOMER who came to see me a few months ago told me a story which illustrates the fine mess we're in.
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Monday, September 01, 2008
The US Economy and Global Monetary Disorder / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
"Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon," so said Milton Friedman. After that it was down hill. The Chicago school so defined inflation and deflation that they largely severed the monetary root from which these phenomena spring. Hence a stable price level was seen as the ideal. (Even the great Knut Wicksell subscribed to the fallacy of the stable price level). Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, September 01, 2008
Can Exports Save US Economy from Recession? / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_and_Markets
Jack Crooks writes: Since the start of the U.S. housing downturn we've been told that consumers were in trouble. After the subprime market shakeout we were told our economy was in trouble. And after credit tightened up we were told to expect an inevitable U.S. recession.
But yet ... we're not in a recession. At least not technically speaking since that is defined as two quarters of negative GDP growth.
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Thursday, August 21, 2008
Soaring Savings Rate Heralds End of Consumerism / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
In Revisiting the M3 Contraction I stated " consumers are saving, rather than spending their stimulus checks ". Some found that statement hard to believe. Let's take a look. Sev writes: " Mish, the argument that more people are saving is something I find hard to believe. Their bills are skyrocketing and "price" increases are eating into their monthly costs. Maybe some have paid down bills but I would bet the vast majority don't have the means. Now maybe ultra rich people are moving their vast sums into perceived safer investment vehicles but the thought that actual saving is increasing I don't think makes complete sense.
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Monday, August 18, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For US Financial Markets (August 18-22) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The week of August 18-22 will see a very light week of economic data on the calendar. Aside from Dallas Fed President Fisher's comments on the US Economy on Wed, the only potentially market moving macro data for the week will be the Monday release of the PPI and Tuesday publication of the Housing Starts series for July. The remainder of the major data for the week will be released on Thursday when the weekly jobless claims series, the August Philadelphia Fed survey and the June index of leading economic indicators are published. Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Global Goldilocks Economy ? / Economics / US Economy
By: Kurt_Kasun
The new narrative forming among the Goldilocks crowd is that US economic supremacy reigns once again, as manifest in a reawakened "King Dollar". The US dollar will continue to strengthen, commodity prices will plummet, and the stock market can only rally from here since all of the bad news has already been discounted. The Global Goldilocks view is that the rest of the world slows just enough to dampen commodity pressures and prices, but the world does not slow too much to wreck the American economy. The dollar strengthens resulting in capital flows into the US . And voila-- we have a return to the glory days of the 1990s. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Social Security Is Morally Bankrupt / Politics / US Economy
By: Alex_Epstein
August 14 marks Social Security's 73rd birthday--placing it eight years past standard retirement age. But, despite the program's $10-trillion-plus dollar shortfall, no politician dares to suggest that this disastrous program be phased out and retired; all agree on one absolute: Social Security must be saved. While the program may have financial problems, virtually everyone believes that some form of mandatory government-run retirement program is morally necessary.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, August 08, 2008
American Dream Optimism in Denial of Inflation and Slumping Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
In holding overnight rates steady at 2% this week, the Fed once again put forth its belief that despite a cascade of horrific financial data, the economy was likely to continue to grow slowly and that inflation would moderate. Although wrong on both counts, this view is consistent with the relative optimism that prevails across the country. After nearly two decades of an uninterrupted consumption binge, most Americans simply refuse to believe that anything can seriously derail the American economy. It's a pleasant dream, but the wakeup call can't be too far off. Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, August 07, 2008
US Soaring Jobless Claims and the "L" Shaped Recession / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Implications Of An Overleveraged Consumer For an economy overleveraged on consumer spending the chart could hardly look worse. Yet, it is going to get worse, lots worse. Hiring has stalled, commercial real estate is hitting the skids, vacancy rates at malls are rising, lease rates are dropping. In short, the Shopping Center Economic Model Is History .
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Monday, August 04, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For US Financial Markets (August 4th- 8th 2008) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The FOMC meeting on Wednesday and the personal income/spending report on Monday will shape the upcoming week in US financial markets. Other first tier data to be published during the upcoming week will be the ISM non-manufacturing reports on Tuesday, jobless claims on Thursday and non-farm productivity/unit labor cost report on Friday. The week will see another five days of plentiful earnings reports. Of the large number of firms reporting the releases by AMBAC, MBIA, Freddie Mac and Proctor and Gamble all retain the capacity to move the markets. Due to the FOMC meeting, there will be no Fed speak on during the week of August 4-8 Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, August 01, 2008
US Jobs Decline for 7th Month, Deep Revisions to Bad Data / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Before taking a look at the monthly jobs data, let's take a look at weekly claims. The US Department of Labor is reporting Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims continue to rise.
Seasonally Adjusted
In the week ending July 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 448,000, an increase of 44,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 404,000. The 4-week moving average was 393,000, an increase of 11,000 from the previous week's revised average of 382,000.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Bank Bailouts and Weak Economy Ensure Worsening US Budget Deficit / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The mid-session review of the federal budget released during the past week saw the White House revise its outlook for the deficit towards nominal highs. The administration is forecasting that the deficit will come in at $389 billion in 2008 and the 2009 deficit should arrive at $482 billion.
The provisional estimate is a snapshot of current spending plans that does not take into account the emerging economic reality. This year seven banks have failed, which may be a grim preview of the forthcoming problems among regional and second-tier banks. The economic slowdown has generated tax receipts through the first nine months of fiscal 2008 equal to 17.9% of GDP, which is less than the 40-year average.
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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Fallacies and Lies of Bailouts as US Heads for Economic Armageddon / Economics / US Economy
By: Brady_Willett
While Elton John made us think of Norma Jean as a candle in the wind, the financial markets in 2008 bring to mind a stick of lit dynamite in a hurricane. Does an explosion loom before the unpredictable gusts finally dissipate? If so, gold may be the only answer… The Misnomer
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Thursday, July 31, 2008
America's Financial Collapse- It's the Economy Stupid! / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Stathis
It's shocking to see so many who remain in denial about the economy, specifically the pundits. Until they see two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth (a ridiculously misleading metric – see my previous article “How Washington is Fooling You With GDP Data”) they refuse to admit we are in a recession. And the media acts as puppets, repeating these same lines without scrutinizing the data. Who do these people think they're kidding? If you're running a show designed to help investors, shouldn't you be ahead of the curve instead of behind it? Serving as broadcasters for inaccurate data that's been manipulated to fool the public does nothing to aid an audience looking for real investment guidance. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
New York Governor Warns Of Economic and Budget Crisis / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
The New York Times is reporting Paterson Warns of Economic Crisis .In a rare, brief televised address, Gov. David A. Paterson announced on Tuesday afternoon that he would call the Legislature into an emergency session on Aug. 19 to address what he called an economic and budget crisis confronting New York State as a result of plummeting revenues and rising costs.
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Monday, July 28, 2008
US Recession Trend Status on US GDP Growth Data / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_Morning
William Patalon III writes: A hectic week on the economic calendar is highlighted by the initial look at second quarter gross domestic product (GDP). Remember, a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, so doomsayers have targeted this week's release as confirmation of their pessimism.
Fortunately, the analyst consensus holds that the economy expanded at a faster pace than the 1% rate of the first quarter, putting us safely outside of recession territory. Investors get another view inside the struggling labor market where layoffs (mainly among financials) have resulted in overall job contractions for five consecutive months.
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Monday, July 28, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For US Financial Markets (July 28-August 1) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The week of July 28-August 1 will see a fairly significant amount of US macro data. The major releases will be clustered near the end of the week on Thursday and Friday. Thursday will see the publication of the preliminary GDP for Q2, jobless claims, Chicago PMI and the employment cost index for Q2. The week will be capped by the release of the July non-farm payrolls report and the estimate of the ISM of national manufacturing conditions for that same month. Tuesday will see the release of July consumer confidence survey by the Conference Board and Wednesday will see the ADP estimate of payrolls for July. The week will see another heavy five days of earnings statements with heavyweights such as Disney, Starbucks, Chevron and Berkshire-Hathaway reporting near the end of the week. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, July 25, 2008
US Conflicting Economic Data : Payrolls and Second Quarter GDP Growth / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The upcoming week will be defined by two closely linked US macroeconomic data that will frame the debate about which direction the economy is poised to take during the latter half of 2008. Yet, these two data are likely to paint two very different portraits regarding the condition of the economy. On Thursday the market will observe the preliminary estimate of economic growth during the second quarter of the year, followed by the publication of the July non-farm payrolls the next morning. Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Commercial Bankruptcies Soar as BLS Jobs Data Shown as Worthless / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
The McClatchy Washington Bureau is reporting Commercial bankruptcies soar, reflecting widening economic woes . Commercial filings for the first half of 2008 are up 45 percent from last year, as the national climate for commerce continues to deteriorate amid rising energy and food costs, mounting job losses, tighter credit and a reticence among consumers to part with discretionary income.
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Saturday, July 19, 2008
Credit Crisis and Housing Bust- Don't Worry the World Will Not End / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
- The World Will Not End
- Take a Deep Breath
- 9% Growth in Housing or a 4% Loss?
Housing starts rose 9% and the market cheerleaders proclaimed that we have seen a bottom. But not if you look at the actual numbers. New unemployment claims were OK, but not if you look at the actual numbers. And inflation was simply ugly, no matter what numbers you look at. However, oil is down and there is reason to think it may have further to go on the downside. We cover all this and more, as we first look at why the world is not going to end.
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Friday, July 18, 2008
US Consumer Retail Sales Contraction Worse than 2001 / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
Don't write off the U.S. consumer, right? Wrong. On a year-over-year basis there has been a sharp deceleration in nominal retail sales growth. On a year-over-year basis, there has been a sharp contraction in price-adjusted retail sales. The chart below using quarterly average data illustrates this. Growth in nominal retail sales peaked back in the first quarter of 2006 at 7.6% in this cycle. In the second quarter of this year, nominal retail sales growth had slowed to just 2.6%.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Status Report on the Collapse of the U.S. Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Richard_C_Cook
With the economic news of the week of July 14—the continuing crisis among mortgage lenders, the onset of bank failures, the announced downsizing of General Motors, the slide of the Dow-Jones below 11,000—we are seeing the ongoing collapse of the U.S. economy. Even the super-rich are becoming nervous as cries for an emergency suspension of short selling ring out. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Bernanke Delivers 'Hogwash' Testimony to Congress / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Chairman Ben S. Bernanke testified Before the U.S. Senate in the Fed's Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress . Let's take a look at some of the highlights.
The economy has continued to expand, but at a subdued pace. In the labor market, private payroll employment has declined this year, falling at an average pace of 94,000 jobs per month through June. Employment in the construction and manufacturing sectors has been particularly hard hit, although employment declines in a number of other sectors are evident as well. The unemployment rate has risen and now stands at 5-1/2 percent.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For US Financial Markets (July 14-18) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The week of July 14-18 will see a major five days macro data, earnings and Fed Talk in the context of a very shaky market. Just a few potential market moving events upcoming on the schedule are: the two-day testimony on monetary policy and the economy by Fed Chair Ben Bernanke scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Earnings statements that may shape the entire trading week will be published will be JP Morgan on Wednesday and Merrill Lynch, Citi and Thornburg Mortgage on Thursday. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, July 14, 2008
The US Economy Is in Deep Trouble / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
Over the past few weeks many notable analysts have made the case that the economy is in the process of recovery. The market has celebrated the wonder of the “resilient consumer.” Given the still fragile state of the economy we think that this is a bit overblown. A cold-eyed, hard-nosed analysis of the true condition of all things financial provides us with a very different assessment of the economy. But, with a major week of fundamental data and the onset of earnings season for financials upon us we thought it pertinent to put a few ideas to rest.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, July 11, 2008
US Trade:Deficit Realities and Fallout / Economics / US Economy
By: Andy_Sutton
I want everyone to forget the first sentence of last week's column. Things are not scary; they're bordering on out of control on several fronts. In particular, there are two items which are getting nearly no press that urgently need to be discussed. While the media world continues to focus on whether or not Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have another 12 hours of solvency left, our trade deficit continues to persist despite continued weakness in the Dollar and out of control import prices. I like to use these two macro measures as a barometer of not only what is going on now, but what is likely to happen down the road.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Strip Mall Vacancies Spike to Levels Last Seen in 1995 / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
MoneyNews is reporting Retail Property, Vacancies Q2 Worst in 30 Years .U.S. store closings and cutbacks turned the second quarter into the worst for strip mall owners in 30 years, as budget-conscious consumers flocked to low-cost warehouse-style grocery centers, according to a report by real estate research firm Reis.
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Friday, July 04, 2008
US Jobs Report Less than Expected; Based on BLS Statistical Assumptions / Economics / US Economy
By: Mark_OByrne
Gold was down $12.90 to $931.90 in New York yesterday and silver closed at $18.28, down 5 cents. Gold remained at these levels in Asia but has fallen near to yesterday's lows in early trading in Europe. Oil has fallen marginally < $144.40 down 0.6% - Light Sweet Crude Oil Future - Combined - AUG08> and the dollar is flat after yesterday's strong gains.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, July 03, 2008
US Jobs Decline for 6th Consecutive Month Data / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Before taking a look at the monthly jobs data, let's take a look at weekly claims. The US Department of Labor is reporting Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims continue to rise.
Seasonally Adjusted
In the week ending June 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 404,000, an increase of 16,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 388,000. The 4-week moving average was 390,500, an increase of 11,250 from the previous week's revised average of 379,250.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
US Economy Experiencing Wage Price Deflation Spiral / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
The deflation train picks up steam as AirTran Asks Employees To Take "Temporary" Pay Cuts . On Wednesday, AirTran Holdings asked for temporary wage concessions from all of its employees, TradeTheNews reported. AirTran will ask all workers to accept pay cuts between 5% and 13%, and officers will take a 15% cut, effective in August, for six months.
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008
US Downward Economic Spiral in Employment Market / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
The New York Times is reporting Deepening Cycle of Job Loss Seen Lasting Into '09 .
Plummeting home prices have in recent months eliminated jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, from bankers and real estate agents to construction workers and furniture manufacturers.
“The labor market is clearly deteriorating, and it's highly likely to keep deteriorating,” said Andrew Tilton, an economist at Goldman Sachs. “It's clear that the housing downturn and credit crunch are still very much under way. Clearly, there are more jobs to be lost in housing, finance and construction — hundreds of thousands of more jobs to be lost collectively.”
Monday, June 30, 2008
Economic Forecasts and Analysis For US Financial Markets (June 30-July 4) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The country may be celebrating its independence, but the markets will see a week of very important data and an address on the financial crises and the economy from the Fed and US Treasury. The major events of the week will be the publication of the June non-farm payrolls report on Thursday. Wednesday will see an address on the economy by US Treasury Secretary Paulson and a talk on the current global financial disruption by FOMC Gov. Mishkin. Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Nondefense Market for Durable Goods - The Big Picture / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
Chart 1 shows that in May, shipments of durable goods excluding defense were down year-over-year 4.4%; new orders for the same were down 4.3%. Both started to soften in late 2006 when the tentacles of the housing recession began squeezing other sectors of the economy. The housing recession is taking its toll on the demand for discretionary consumer goods, which is reflected in the contraction in durable goods activity.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, June 20, 2008
US Recession Masked by the Fed Dumping Treasuries to Support Banking System / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
For the second month in a row, the Conference Board's index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) increased by 0.1% in May. And for the second month in a row, the interest spread between the yield on the 10-year Treasury security and the fed funds rate made a large positive contribution to the change in the LEI, 0.14 in April and 0.19 in May. All else the same, had it not been for the positive contributions from the interest spread component, the LEI would have contracted in April and May. Is there any reason to hypothesize that the spread component is biased upwards? Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
US Economy Hits the Canvas, Fed Expected to Keep Rates on Hold at 2% / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Whitney
The economy is in tatters. Consumer confidence has plummeted, food and energy prices are soaring, and the housing market is experiencing its biggest crash since the Great Depression. Manufacturing is down, unemployment is up, gasoline is topping $4 per gallon, and tent cities are sprouting up throughout the Southwest. If there's a silver lining to this mess; it's not visible from planet earth. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 16, 2008
Economic Calendar Forecasts and Analysis: Week Ahead In US Financial Markets (June 16-20 2008) / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The market will observe a healthy amount of macroeconomic data to be released during the upcoming five trading days. The major data that have the capacity to move the market will be the release of the PPI and housing starts data for May, both of which will be released on Tuesday. Fed talk for the week will be light and Fed Chair Ben Bernanke will speak before a Senate committee on healthcare and US competitiveness on Monday. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The Next Big Federal Spending Spree / Politics / US Economy
By: John_Browne
As the economic indicators turn down and election year politics heats up, the calls from politicians for more government intervention and enhanced economic stimulus are becoming more strident. Last week, with the onset of the general presidential campaign, and with increased attention on the economy shown by the Bush administration, I could not help but think that something big was in the air. And by big, I mean the kind of massive new Federal spending initiatives that we haven't seen since the Great Society of the 1960's. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Friday's US Employment Report and the Stock Market / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_J_Nolte
Friday's reaction to the employment report was somewhat of a surprise, given that fewer job losses were “created”, however what spooked everyone was the big jump in the unemployment rate. The report left a sour taste in investor's mouths, given the good news from the merger front (Verizon and Alltel) as well as good numbers from Wal-Mart (the “main” recipient of the rebate checks). Energy prices were in full retreat earlier in the week, but that reversed with a vengeance by the end of the week, as oil prices rose by their largest daily amount ever.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 09, 2008
Democrats and Recessions / Politics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Now that Obama is the Democrats' contender for the presidency, they can resume their attacks on the US economy. These moral cretins have still got the effrontery to assert that the Bush economy is one of the worst in the country's history when that appellation should be awarded to the Roosevelt administration. (The second worst would be the Hoover administration).Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, June 06, 2008
May Jobs: US Unemployment Skyrockets to 5.5% Confirming Recession / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Yahoo!Finance is reporting Unemployment rate jumps to 5.5 percent in May .
The nation's unemployment rate jumped to 5.5 percent in May — the biggest monthly rise since 1986 — as nervous employers cut 49,000 jobs. The latest snapshot of business conditions showed a deeply troubled economy, with dwindling job opportunities in a time of continuing hardship in the housing, credit and financial sectors.
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Friday, June 06, 2008
The Spin On Jobs Statistics- Non-Farm Payrolls Friday / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
Given that it takes 150,000 jobs to keep up with birthrate, anything under 100,000 jobs is a weak showing. Numbers under 50,000 are actually pathetic. However, it's easy to put a positive spin on things when expectations are in the gutter.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
US Living Standards and Productivity / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Boring as this might seem to some of our rightwing pundits, we can get no where in economic debate without the application of theory. Many of the questions that are popping up these days are linked to the alleged connection between productivity, unemployment and inflation. There are no links here in the functional sense. In a free market unemployment will not rise even where productivity is falling.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Stock Markets Marking Time Ahead of Real State of US Economy / Stock-Markets / US Economy
By: Paul_J_Nolte
The calendar turns another page and we dive headlong into summer with the hope/expectation that the government checks that have hit our accounts over the past few weeks will save us from the deep end of the debt pool. The reports last week provided little comfort that the economy is improving, as spending and income merely matched inflation – and the income number does include the rebate “income”. So for another month, the consumer is spending what they have and trying to keep pace with an ever-faster treadmill. Housing still looked poor, with the Case-Shiller index still showing lower housing prices. Little surprise that the consumer is feeling blue, with confidence at the lowest level in nearly 16 years.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 02, 2008
Are Subsistence Wages Killing The United States? / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
I received an interesting Email last week from Minyan "MC" who is concerned about globalization's effect on jobs and wages. Let's tune in to his thoughts: There is a mania in this country to slash wages to a subsistence level (or worse). This is a symptom of the greed and corporate cronyism that is killing the country.
The powers-that-be that run the US are determined to crush wages, even when they realize that people are doing without food, health insurance, etc. We keep hearing news stories that about 10% of our population doesn't have sufficient food? The root cause is the mania to cut wages and lay off workers.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 02, 2008
Betting on Biggs and other Economic Predictions / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_Petillo
Some folks would like to call these days an inflection point. But that would be a prediction. The markets are going up, down and sideways in an unpredictable way and yet we are still trying to divine some semblance of normal where normal may not exist.
Douglas Noël Adams, the late author of the classic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy suggested that, "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." But in days like these, where experience seems to be as passé as our dominance on the global economy, who do you listen to?
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 02, 2008
Why Consumer Spending Won't Save the US Economy from Depression / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Regardless of the spiteful attempts of the Democrats and a corrupt media, the US economy is not going to sink into a depression. (When in 2000 Cheney observed, correctly, that the economy was in recession he was accused by the same corrupt media and the Democrats of trying "to talk down the economy"). Some economic commentators have stressed that based on a year-over-year basis GDP rose by 2.5 per cent in the first quarter of this year, most of it due the country's export boom.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, May 31, 2008
US Economy Stuck in the Purple Haze of Stagflation / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
With the economy caught somewhere in the purple haze between recession and anemic growth, many market prognosticators have been making the case that the worst is behind us.
With respect to the credit crisis, I do think that with the exception of a few nerve-rattling write-offs still to come, that is true. Credit spreads have begun to narrow, volatility measures seem to have settled down in recent weeks and the very unorthodox liquidity measures taken by the Fed appear to have calmed the nerves of market actors and appears to be in the process of pushing the market back towards something approximating normalcy.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, May 26, 2008
Bush Economic and Housing Boom was Fueled by Credit Expansion / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
America's sluggish economy has the ever-so patriotic Democrats and their media playmates drooling over the prospect of a recession and rising unemployment. Those political activists who have the brazen effrontery to call themselves journalists have been gleefully drawing unfavourable comparisons between the economy under Bush and the Clinton boom, painting the former as a dreadful record of lousy growth, stagnant wages and tax cuts for the rich.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, May 23, 2008
Financial Markets Behind the Curve as Consumer Spending Acts as Leading Economic Indicator / Economics / US Economy
By: Joseph_Brusuelas
The past two quarters have seen anemic 0.6% rates of growth and we expect that personal consumption for the advance Q1'08 growth report will advance 1.0%, which would be the weakest three months of personal consumption since the beginning of the 2001 recession.
The primary catalyst behind the subpar performance has been the steep increase in headline costs. The price of domestically produced gasoline has increased 20.7% and the cost of food has risen 5.1% over the past year. This has eroded what little increase in wages that consumers have seen as the business cycle has come to an end.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, May 19, 2008
Getting Real with GDP and Government Inflation Adjustments / Economics / US Economy
By: Michael_Pento
With the release of last week's Consumer Price inflation numbers, the debate over the accuracy of the government's reported Consumer Price Index data was once again front and center. The official numbers showed that the overall rate of consumer inflation rose .2% while the over-hyped core rate rose just a paltry .1%.
However, these incredible April numbers were the result of a seasonal adjustment that removed much of the increase in gasoline prices. Unbelievably, the report claimed that consumer's energy costs were unchanged while the actual price of crude oil rose about 12.5% and gas prices rose 11% during the same period in question—that's some adjustment!
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The Fed at Interest Rate Crossroads Between Inflation and Economic Growth / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
- Retail Sales Take a Dive
- Accounting for Inflation
- The Fed at the Crossroads
- Sell in May and Go Away
Is the economy poised for a recovery, as the stock market seems to expect? Or are we in for another few more quarters of recession and/or slow growth? In this week's letter we take a look at consumer spending, inflation, and other data to see if we can find a clue or two to give us an idea of the direction of the economy. There is a lot of data, so let's jump right in.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Unemployment Rate: What Is The Real Story? / Economics / US Economy
By: Ronald_R_Cooke
If you have been reading my essays, you know I firmly believe the United States Department of Labor (DOL), Bureau Of Labor Statistics (BLS) understates the rate of inflation (see: CPI: Sophisticated Economic Theory, Terrible Ethics). You also know that a low Rate Of Inflation means that the Department of Commerce (DOC), Bureau Of Economic Analysis (BEA) overstates “Real” Gross Domestic product (see: “American GDP: Can We Trust The BEA Data?” and: “Yes Virginia. This Is A Recession.”). Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, May 05, 2008
US Economic Stimulus Not a Silver Bullet / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Shedlock
While pondering whether there is going to be a second half recovery on the basis of stimulus checks, let's first take a look at the possible repercussions of Cash-Out Refis Lowest in Four Years . Fifty-six percent of Freddie Mac-owned loans were cash-out refinances in the first quarter of 2008, the smallest percentage since Q2 in 2004, the GSE said Friday. First quarter's share compares starkly to the 77 percent share of refinancing posted just one quarter earlier, and underscores the new reality for most homeowners.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, May 02, 2008
Debt the Price for Economic Growth / Economics / US Economy
By: Andy_Sutton
Our call from last week is playing out exactly as we forecasted. The Fed cut interest rates, signaled a willingness to pause, and the Dollar has begun another dead cat bounce. Included below is a chart that shows other dead cat bounces that have occurred during the past year. Note the end result of each of the prior bounces: an ultimately lower Dollar. There is no reason to believe this time will be any different. We outlined the reasons for this assumption in last week's piece.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sharp Fall in Consumer Spending / Economics / US Economy
By: Mick_Phoenix
Does the consumer truly believe?The past three Occasional Letters have been quite an in-depth discussion about the path taken by the Federal Reserve and recently by the Bank of England in their attempts to deal with the deflationary forces unleashed by the credit crash. Since those discussions we have seen evidence that supports my view as seen recently in the Weekly Reports.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, April 25, 2008
For the Real Forces Behind US Economic Growth Look at the Nasdaq / Economics / US Economy
By: Brian_Bloom
Think about this- One of the most interesting economists of the early 20 th Century was Joseph Schumpeter.Here is a quote from the Wikipedia article: “Schumpeter's theory is that the success of capitalism will lead to a form of corporatism and a fostering of values hostile to capitalism, especially among intellectuals. The intellectual and social climate needed to allow entrepreneurship to thrive will not exist in advanced capitalism; it will be replaced by socialism in some form.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Teachers Strike as Real Inflation is Far Higher than the CPI / Politics / US Economy
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Today saw the biggest teachers strike in 20 years as the Government tried to force teachers to accept a pay deal of 2.45% linked to the Consumer Price index (CPI) (2.5%) instead of the more recognised Retail Price Index (RPI) (4.1%). The CPI is the internationally standardised inflation measure that is designed so as to under report inflation and thus make the jobs of politicians and finance ministers easier when it comes to public sector pay deals.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
US Social Security Budget Deficit: False Alarm Or False Hope? / Politics / US Economy
By: Ronald_R_Cooke
A recent Wall Street Journal MarketWatch column by Dr. Irwin Kellner entitled “False Alarm” concludes Social Security is not likely to run out of money any time soon.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
US Economic Quarterly Review and Outlook for 2008 / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
This week's Outside the Box is from my friends at Hoisington Management. While somewhat technical, they make the case that a slowdown in consumer spending is inevitable. This is worth taking some time and thinking about. Quoting: "This means that consumer spending increases should be approximately zero for the next three years. Further exacerbating the problem is the personal saving rate which declined from 5.2% in the decade of the 1990s to average 1.3% in the last seven years, and now stands at 0.3%. Should declining wealth, rising unemployment and poor economic conditions cause consumers to begin to save and lift the rate back to the 1.3% average of the past seven years, real consumer spending would experience a multi-year contraction." Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The US Needs a Good Dose of Supply-side Economics Instead of Interest Rate Cuts / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Since last September the Fed has slashed the fed funds rate by 300 basis points to 2.25 per cent. Will there be anymore cuts? Not if Martin Feldstein, former chairman of President Reagan's Council of Economic Advisors, has anything to do with it. Feldstein, now a Harvard economics professor, argues that further cuts would promote commodity prices and inflation without solving the economy's woes. What he didn't say is that what the US economy needs is more production — not more monetary manipulation — if genuine demand is to expand.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Will Fed Actions and American Culture Prevent a Soft Depression? / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
- The Muddle Through Question
- Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right of Me, Here I am Stuck in the Muddle Through Middle With You!
- A Soft Depression? Not.
- South Africa and Swiss Mountains
A few weeks ago I asked for readers to send me questions and said I would try and answer them while I was in Switzerland. Some of them were quite good and have given me ideas for whole newsletters but will require a lot of research. But a lot of them fell into two basic camps. This week we look at a number of questions from readers about my thoughts on the Muddle Through Economy.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, April 18, 2008
The Collapse of the US Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
Recent high profile bankruptcies of mainstay American retailers, such as The Sharper Image and Linens ‘n Things, as well as the proposed mergers between Blockbuster/Circuit City and Delta/Northwest, and the admissions from the nation's leading student lenders that their business models are no longer viable, mark the beginning of a long overdue overhaul of the American economy. In short, the economy will be getting smaller and more expensive. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Problems Spread as US Recession Takes Hold / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Browne
Last week, General Electric one of the finest companies in the world and an American icon, announced a major fall in earnings. Amazingly, the bad news surprised Wall Street, and GE shares fell 13 percent in a single day. Some surprise!
GE is one of the best-diversified and well managed companies on earth, and is seen as a barometer of both the US and the world economies. Its latest earnings report was impacted by the expected fall in financial services and a continued strength in overseas earnings. However, it also showed a largely unexpected fall in the sales of US medical devises as public and not-for-profit hospitals, suffering massive increases in their borrowing costs, cut back on spending.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, April 11, 2008
Falling US Dollar and Trouble with the Trade Deficit / Economics / US Economy
By: Andy_Sutton
Ever since the falling dollar really hit the radar screen of the mainstream media, one predictable, knee-jerk response was that this would be a miracle elixir for our ailing export economy. Further, they asserted, the weak dollar would cure the trade deficit. This is a prime example of what happens when textbook logic is used in place of reality. I dedicated the second edition of Economic Myth Busters back in September 2007 to the absurd notion that the weak dollar was good for the American economy. In the 6 months since the article some notable trends have developed.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Deficits Never Drove the US Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
The myth that President Bush's deficits rescued the American economy from recession has taken root among some conservative economic commentators. (Of course, if you are a hardcore Democrat then Republican economic policies are always awful). This is a typical Keynesian response by people who should damn well know better.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
US Job Less Report- Surprise!, Surprise!, Surprise! / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_J_Nolte
Market analysts are sounding like Gomer Pyle upon the release of the employment report – surprise, surprise, surprise! Not only did the headline job loss come in worse than expected, but also the revisions to past months shaved enough from the initial estimates to put the first three months of the year into negative territory. Investor's will need to get used to being disappointed, as a recessionary environment tends to bring out the worst in economic data. Dead ahead is first quarter earnings, with Alcoa stepping off first. Already earnings have declined by more than 10% from the peak last year and expectations are actually high (if excluding the financial sector) for a decent earnings season. While the large multi-national firms should do just fine (as exports are doing very well), we don't believe the current economic environment supports a generally strong earnings season.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Interest Rates and the Keynesian Myth / Interest-Rates / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Still lurking in the Keynesian woodshed is the myth that interest is a monetary phenomenon that is artificially keeping capital scarce. Eliminate interest and presto! Capital will become superabundant. Keynes repeated this preposterous fallacy in the Paper of the British Experts , 8 April 1943, in which he asserted that "Credit expansion performs the miracle . . . of turning stone into bread".Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, April 07, 2008
US Economy, Commodity Prices and the Trade Cycle / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
The current economic situation brings to mind 1999 when worries about the state of the US economy were piling up faster than rationalisations about the country's alleged growth rate. There was less talk of a "new era" economy and more about a "correction". What was it that brought about a more subdued assessment in so many quarters? Commodity prices are the answer.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Is the US Fed Inflating or Deflating? / Economics / US Economy
By: Mick_Phoenix
Welcome to the Weekly Report. This week, I stick my nose in where it ain't wanted. (again)We get down in the dirt about deflation and we look at some stocks and wonder why and I show you my long term indicators.
Now, I'm not one to boast, really I'm not. No one enjoys the likes of me stuffing “I told you so” remarks down reader's throats. There comes a time when it does become slightly unavoidable. Is it ego, a demand of recognition? Is it a desire to be kingpin, the ultra guru? Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn, as long as my readers get something that helps make life as an investor /trader easier then my attitude is “so what?”
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Ring-Fence the Bad Assets- Re-Arranging the Deck Chairs on the Titanic? / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
Yesterday I expressed my opinion on the lack of economic substance of allowing financial institutions to value the assets on their books at historical cost or whatever they so desire ( Mark It as You Choose, but Is Enough Cash Coming In? ). Today, yet another "costless" solution to the bad-asset problem is being put forth in the Financial Times - quarantine the bad apples from the good ( Wall St banks seek to ring-fence bad assets ). ,br> Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, April 03, 2008
No Economic Depression on the Horizon ... / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_and_Markets
Larry Edelson writes: Last week I told you that the mortgage crisis is not over. This week, the message I want you to come away with is that the mortgage and credit crisis do not present a doomsday scenario.
Don't misunderstand — I am not cavalier about the financial crisis the U.S. is going through. It is scary stuff. Probably the worst crisis this country has seen since the Great Depression.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Inflation Deflation Battle / Economics / US Economy
By: Fake_Ben
Round One Winner: Schiff - In a recent article, I wrote about Mike “Mish” Shedlock of the blog Global Economic Trend Analysis ( http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com ) and Peter Schiff, of Euro Pacific Capital, Inc. ( http://www.europac.net/ ). I separated them into the camps of the deflationistas (Shedlock) and the inflationistas (Schiff) .Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, March 31, 2008
Further Weakness in the US Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_J_Nolte
The worst quarter since the first half of 2002 will be in the books at the close today, and not a day too soon. The news of the week included still poor housing data, although a few glimmers of hope in that the declines were less than originally estimated. Too were the refi and new purchase activity, reported by Mortgage Bankers Association, jumped as mortgages rates moved modestly lower. This week will be loaded with the usual first week data, including employment, which will likely show another contraction in payrolls, further fueling those sitting on the fence that we are indeed in a recession.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, March 24, 2008
Savings and the US Economy- Fallacy of Including Home Ownership in Savings / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
A while ago David Malpass, financial writer and chief economist at Bear Stearns, (and I do mean that Bear Stearns) argued that US savings are under reported because they exclude "cash flow improvements from realized gains on equities, houses, and mortgage refinancing." Now I am not referring to Malpass as a means to take a swipe at Bear Stearns and the quality of its advisors: that's the market's job. What Malpass did was to inadvertently draw attention to the confusion that reigns among the economic commentariat with respect to the nature of saving and its critical importance for economic welfare. Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Wall St. Stocks Rally on Philly Fed US Economic Outlook / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
"NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks jumped on Thursday, pushing the Dow briefly up more than 1 percent, as a reading on factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region fell by less than analysts' had forecast, improving views on the U.S. economic outlook."
Tell me. On what basis did "analysts" have to predict what the Philly Fed March factory activity headline would be? For that matter, on what basis do "analysts" have for predicting what weekly initial jobless claims will be.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, March 10, 2008
Can Supply-side Economics Save the US Economy from the Boom Bust Cycle? / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Current trends in the US economy are worrying a lot of people -- and so they should. Unfortunately worrying never solved any problems, only action can do that. But in order to solve a problem once must first identify it. Remember that economic trends are the product of deeper forces. For instance, a continual rise in productivity year after year is the fruit of capital accumulation increasing faster than the population. On the other hand, the so-called boom-bust cycle is the result of bad economics. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, March 03, 2008
Kings of Denial: What Bush and Bernanke are NOT telling you about the Economy ... / Economics / US Economy
By: Money_and_Markets
Martin Weiss writes: Never underestimate the capacity of politicians and bureaucrats to trap themselves into a pattern of denial.
That's what Fed Chairman Greenspan did in the early 2000s, even while he was helping to create the greatest housing bubble of all time.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
What if Conventional Wisdom On Economic Growth and Consumer Spending Is Wrong? / Economics / US Economy
By: Tim_Iacono
There it was, right in the middle of the front page of yesterday's Wall Street Journal about four paragraphs down in the lead story titled " Decline in Home Prices Accelerates " - more evidence that the economy as we know it could be fundamentally flawed, yet you'd never get a hint of that even from reading one of the the world's finest business publication.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Bernanke's Mission Impossible- To Boost the Economy To Win the Election / Economics / US Economy
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Ben Bernanke's Mission Impossible is to deliver a favorable economic climate conducive towards a Republican election victory in November 2008,
The mission requires the US Fed to -
- abandon the defense of the dollar,
- to abandon the fight against inflation,
- to prop up the ailing banking system by as much money as is required (money supply),
Monday, February 25, 2008
US Economic Boom and Busts / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
The US Economy: Been there before - There are times when in order to find out where we are we need to discover how we got there. And this is certainly the case with economies, and the US economy is no exception. This is why economic lessons are vitally important and why they need to be constantly aired lest the public be led astray by demagogues and economic illiterates. (Think Obama and Hillary Clinton). One of the most important lessons that was largely disregarded in the 1990s is that booms are always followed by busts. (The dishonest US mainstream media's response to this fact is to blame recessions on Republicans and always credit Democrats with the good times).Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, February 23, 2008
US Fed's Up Beat Forecasts on Pessimistic Economic Growth Outlook / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
- The Muddle Through Fed
- Risks to the Downside
- Consumers Gone Wild
- Leaving the Ballpark After All these Years
This week the Fed offered us their forecasts for 2008-10 for the economy, inflation and employment. We will look at some of the details which I think will be of interest. Then we glance at some data on the savings rate which suggests consumer spending may be in for more of a challenge than many think. There is a lot of ground to cover.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, February 22, 2008
Inflation: America 's Greatest Export / Economics / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
Unfortunately one of the few things still made in America is inflation. In fact, it now ranks as our greatest export.
A significant by-product of the current global economic system, wherein Americans spend money they do not earn to buy foreign products that they do not make, is that trillions of dollars are now parked in foreign banks just looking for somewhere to go.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, February 18, 2008
Saving as the Source of Most Spending and the Implications for the 'Economic Stimulus Package' / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Standing Keynesian GDP on its head: Saving Not Consumption as the Main Source of Spending - Professor George Reisman writes: According to the prevailing Keynesian dogma, consumption is the main form of spending in the economic system, while saving is mere non-spending and thus a 'leakage' from the spending stream. This dogma underlies much of government economic policy in the United States, including the so-called economic stimulus package that has just been enacted. In this article, I prove, to the contrary, that consumption is not the main form of spending in the economic system and that the source of most spending is, in fact, saving. I prove my claims by starting with the very formulations of the expenditure aggregates presented by the Keynesian doctrine itself.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Bernanke's State of the US Economy Speech: "You are all Dead Ducks!" / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Whitney
Even veteran Fed-watchers were caught off-guard by Chairman Bernanke's performance before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday. Bernanke was expected to make routine comments on the state of the economy but, instead, delivered a 45 minute sermon detailing the afflictions of the foundering financial system. The Senate chamber was stone-silent throughout. The gravity of the situation is finally beginning to sink in. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Financial Destiny of United States is in China's Hands / Economics / US Economy
By: Professor_Emeritus
Uncle Sam is Crying "Uncle" - Tertium datur - People tend to think in terms of black-and-white. Many of my correspondents think that either hyperinflation or deflation is in store for the dollar; tertium non datur (no third possibility given). I would say tertium datur . The third possibility is a hybrid of hyperinflation and deflation. I described this scenario in my previous article “Opening the Mint to Gold and Silver”. It is possible, even probable, that we shall witness collapsing world trade and collapsing world employment together with competitive currency devaluations, as the three superpowers compete in trying to corner gold. The lure of gold is very strong. “There is no fever like gold fever” and, contrary to conventional wisdom, governments are especially susceptible. Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Flying the Chinese-Made American Flag to Stimulate the US Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Walter_Brasch
Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Credit Crisis is Getting Worse as ISM Services Survey Falls out of Bed / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
- Consumers, Credit, and Complications
- Unemployment is Understated
- The Credit Crisis is Simply Getting Worse
- The Falling Knife of Credit Spreads
- Capital Ratios Are Under More and More Pressure
- The ISM Services Survey Simply Falls out of Bed
- Upgrades, Orlando, and a Proud Dad
The evidence continues to mount that the US is in a recession. In this week's letter, we will look at the blind spot in the unemployment statistics, the continuing meltdown in the credit markets, and the simply awful service sector implosion in the ISM data, and then add a few thoughts on the housing market. There is a lot of data to cover, so this week's letter should be particularly interesting. The letter will print longer than normal, since there are lots of graphs.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, February 07, 2008
The Dichotomy of the US Economic Downturn / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_Petillo
We crave transparency but once we have it we tend to no longer want it. We seek information, but once we get the news we react poorly. We look for some signs from a time past hoping that what once happened could possibly shed light on what is. But this time it is different.
At no time in recent history have we been confronted by so much conflicting information, cloaked appraisals of where we are and where we are headed, veiled attempts at regaining normalcy or risk with as little risk as possible and all this while we have two economies running side-by-side. One economy, that according to Mr. Bush is doing just fine and the other one, the rest of us live with each day.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Case Shiller Home Price Index the Leading Indicator of Economic Downturn / Economics / US Economy
By: Tim_Iacono
By popular demand, the collection of charts featuring the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index has been updated. First, the home price index versus one of stupidest things that economists have ever dreamed up - the home ownership cost substitute used in the consumer price index, otherwise known as "owners' equivalent rent". Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Ron Paul Talks about the US Economic Collapse / Politics / US Economy
By: Brent_Harmes
Anyone who has not listened carefully to what Congressman Ron Paul is saying should probably have a quick listen. Congressman (and Presidential Candidate) Paul has served on The House Banking Committee and The Financial Services Committee. If anyone is in a position to see what our country has in store financially it is this man.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
US Panic Interest Rate Cuts and the US Economic Recession / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Harold Wilson once said that "a week in politics is a long time". Well, that goes double for economies. Last week I said " against my better judgement " that the report on US manufacturing by the Institute for Supply Management was painting a rather grim picture that showed manufacturing was contracting.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Economic Stimulus Package Will Not Fix the US Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
This past week in Washington there has been much talk about the economy. It seems by their actions the leadership and the Fed is finally willing to admit we have a problem, and we need to do something about the economic mess we are in. This is a good thing. However, they are still not being honest about the root cause of our impending crisis and want to deal only with symptoms, not the disease.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 26, 2008
US Economy Rescue Plan - "I know what you did last rebate-time" / Economics / US Economy
By: Andy_Sutton
We'd just finished a nasty fall in the stock market. Tech stocks had crashed, with the NASDAQ losing over 60% of its value. The economy was slowing down and a recession seemed imminent. Something clearly had to be done. The last thing a rookie President needs in his first days in office is a recession. What better an idea to curry favor with the voters than a tax rebate? I remember receiving my $600 Bushbate during the summer of 2001. Mired in graduate school tuition bills, I did the most un-American thing of all: I paid bills with my check. My rebate didn't really stimulate anything other than my own sanity perhaps. However, in order for the rebates to stimulate the economy, the recipients of the money have to spend it into the economy. In theory, this will cause production to increase and growth to ensue. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 25, 2008
US Economy Rescue Plan of $1,200 per American Family, More Checks Will Follow! / Economics / US Economy
By: Tim_Iacono
One Gold Coin for Every American FamilyIf American families are smart (and if they are able), they'll take that $1,200 check coming from the gubment and buy a single one-ounce American Eagle gold coin. Now that monetary policy and fiscal policy appear to be firing on all cylinders, it will probably be one of the easiest and best decisions they'll ever make - the only real question is whether or not $1,200 will be enough by the time the checks arrive in May.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 25, 2008
US Financial Services Industry the Next Sector to Move to Asia / Economics / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
Over the past half-century, the United States has seen its global dominance in dozens of industries slip away. One plum that we have maintained is our gargantuan financial services industry, whose contribution to total GDP more than tripled between 1947 and 2005. However, the current global financial crisis, manufactured on Wall Street and exported to the entire world, may result in the U.S. losing its financial crown as well.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, January 21, 2008
Is the US Economy Already in Recession? / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Figures from the Institute of Supply Management are painting a grim picture. Its PMI (performance manufacturing index) stood at 47.7 in December against 50.8 November. (Anything below 50 indicates a contraction). For the same period production fell from 51.9 to 47.3 while employment remained largely unchanged. Ordinarily this would be enough for anyone ' including me ' to declare the US economy in recession. Unfortunately the situation is not that clear because we have yet to learn what Bernanke will do in the near future.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Bush's Voodoo Stimulus Package - White House In Full Panic Mode! / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Whitney
The White House is now in full-panic mode. In fact, the falling stock market has the administration so worried that Bush will deliver a speech later today that will lay out the details of a “stimulus package” designed to rev-up flagging consumer spending. The desperation is palpable. Fed chairman Bernanke's appearance on Capital Hill on Thursday turned out to be a total bust. Bernanke was supposed to calm jittery investors with promises of rates cuts and easy credit. Instead, his gloomy predictions put the market into a tailspin sending the Dow Jone's down 306 points by day's end. Now it's up to Bush and Co. to pick up the pieces and try to restore confidence in Wall Street.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Credit Default Swaps: The Continuing Crisis and Big Story for 2008 / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
In this issue:
- Democrats Ready to Politicize the Fed
- More BLS BS
- Credit Default Swaps: The Continuing Crisis
- A Stimulating Political Package
- The Economy Continues to Weaken
- Europe, Phoenix, and My New Chair
After a wild week in the markets, there is so much to write about, it is hard to know where to start. The headline number says jobless claims fell 20,000. That would be good news, if it were true. Sometimes you need to look behind the curtain to see how these statistics are made. As we will see, claims were actually up by 26,000. I wrote in my annual 2008 predictions that the big story of the year would turn out to be credit default swaps and counter-party risk. I will admit to thinking it would take more than a few weeks for that to happen. And the Senate is hampering the ability of the Fed to work, and doing so for blatant political purposes, in an effort to reduce the independence of the Fed. There is that and a lot more to cover in what should be an interesting letter.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 18, 2008
George Bush Begs Saudi's for Cheap Crude Oil - The Begging is Only the Beginning! / Economics / US Economy
By: Andy_Sutton
Begging for OilEarlier this week, news reports surfaced about how President Bush, during his recent trip to the Middle East urged the oil producing countries of that region to step up production to meet current market conditions. His plea, however, was less than well received. The Saudis, in effect, told Mr. Bush to get lost, saying “Oil production is controlled by the market”. I'll allow that this utterance is cloaked in ambiguity. It is worrisome, however, especially against the backdrop of persistently high oil prices. The Saudis have either an unwillingness or inability to ramp up production.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
US GDP Statistics : Can We Trust The BEA Data? / Economics / US Economy
By: Ronald_R_Cooke
Introduction In another life (circa 1962), I was an auditor for AT&T. Nothing spectacular. Mostly cash and property reviews. Then some business process analysis. It was my good fortune to have two older gentlemen as partners. They graciously decided to teach this green college kid how to be a good auditor. It was a great learning experience. One of the tricks they taught me was called the “reasonable test”. If the data under audit was within the parameters of like data from other audits, then it was reasonable to assume there were no problems of procedure or management. If, on the other hand, the data did not seem to make sense versus circumstantial criteria, then it would be reasonable to assume further audit investigation was warranted. This technique of measuring the quality of information has become a cornerstone of my work ever since. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Financial Foundations of the American Century - Financial Tsunami Part II / Economics / US Economy
By: F_William_Engdahl
The ongoing and deepening global financial crisis, nominally triggered in July 2007 by an event involving a small German bank holding securitized assets backed by USA sub-prime real estate mortgages, can best be understood as an essential part of an historical process dating back to the end of the Second World War—the rise and decline of the American Century.
The American Century, proudly proclaimed by Time-Life founder and establishment insider, Henry Luce in a famous 1941 Life magazine editorial, was built on the preeminent role of New York banks and Wall Street investment banks which had by then clearly replaced the City of London as the center of gravity of global finance. Luce's American Century was to be built in a far more calculated manner than the British Empire it replaced.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Fed's Small Fixes for a Growing Economic Problem / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_Petillo
The economy has taken a serious turn since the first of the year. January has seen the Wilshire 5000 drop 4.9%, unemployment tick up, and write-downs and write-offs increase in size. Fortunately, the news is finally reaching the campaign trail. Problem is no one can quite agree on whether these problems are short-term or long, good or bad, recessionary or just simply the result of a poor calculation done months, perhaps years ago. So what happened when we turned the calendar?Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
US Economy and Bernanke's Superficial Understanding of Economics / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
At the beginning of the month the Fed sent out a press release in which it brought attention to "a string of large current account deficits" by the US. We also had Mr Bernanke grandly declaring: We stand ready to take substantive additional actions as needed to support growth and to provide adequate insurance against downside risks.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, January 14, 2008
US Social Security Trust Fund Government Designed and Controlled Ponzi Scheme / Economics / US Economy
By: Steve_Selengut
As an investor, I've always wondered why Social Security is such a problem. What's so difficult about managing this particular Trust Fund, and why is it so different from other investment accounts that pay out a constant stream of income? The private sector does it routinely with defined benefit pension plans and fixed annuities, so what's the big deal? Is Social Security failing because it hasn't been invested soundly, or is there some other reason?Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
US Trade Deficit Reduction Reliant on Increased Savings and Reduced Consumption / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
In this issue:
- What Are They Thinking?
- The Reality of Trade Deficits
- Fair Tax Nonsense
- How to Create an Immigration Depression
- Stimulate the Economy by Cutting Spending?
- Tax Hikes to Help Us Grow?
In the past week, I have been in the car coming home late from work, with the presidential debates are on the radio. It is very discouraging to listen to what passes for economic literacy among the candidates. In reality, many candidates are espousing policies that are quite dangerous at worst, or simply misleading at best. Far too many in both parties tell a frustrated America what it wants to hear, rather than the economic reality. The Republicans have some of the worst offenders.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The Economy & The Fat Kid / Economics / US Economy
By: Darryl_R_Schoon
Credit-based economies constantly need to expand in order to service constantly increasing levels of debt. Central banks adjust the flow of credit to maintain the balance between economic expansion and economic contraction.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 05, 2008
US Economy Forecast 2008 - First Recession then Recovery / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
In this issue:
Forecast 2008: Recession and Recovery
18,000 Jobs? Not Really.
Housing: Going Down, Down, Down
Who's Got My Credit Default Swap Back?
Counterparty Risk is the Real Sleeper Issue
The Fed: Too Little, Too Late
Europe, Santa Barbara, China, and The Motley Fool
It's that time of year, when I throw caution to the wind and present my annual forecast issue. Jumping to the conclusion, I think a recession has begun, so the relevant question is to ask when the recovery will begin. We will look at the housing market, the continued implosion of the credit markets, and the deteriorating employment picture. Will the Fed worry more about employment and recession or about the very real inflation pressures? Oil? Gold? Which way the dollar? I am going to make some unusual calls, as well as highlight what I think will be the next looming problem in the growing credit crisis. We'll try to cover it all in just a few pages.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 04, 2008
Wall Street Eyes Wide Shut to Inflation and Impact of Sovereign Wealth Fund Investments / Stock-Markets / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
As our economic ship continues to spring leaks, the goldilocks crowd still clings to the false belief that the Fed can easily keep us afloat with a few more rate cuts. This comfort has sustained many upbeat forecasts despite overwhelming evidence of an unfolding economic and monetary catastrophe of historic proportions.
On Monday we learned that Merrill Lynch, having just sold a $4.5 billion stake to the Singapore government, is again passing around the hat, this time wooing the Chinese and Saudi governments for badly needed funds. This of course follows similar moves by U.S. investment houses Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns. These developments should be disconcerting on many levels, yet most seem unperturbed.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 31, 2007
Memory Lane and President Bush's US Tax Suts / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
As we enter the New Year I thought it appropriate to reflect on President Bush's tax cuts, the ones that the Democrats and their media flunkies screamed would wreck the US economy by generating an unsustainable deficit. It was easy — and still is — to spring to the conclusion that the Democrats' response was driven by opportunism and a deeply ingrained cynicism.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 17, 2007
America's Currency Problems are due to Bad Economics / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Bernanke has now cut rates three time in the last three months. Given Bernanke's Keynesian instincts it was always on the cards that he would go for cuts. The real question is how far will he go. Some commentators are urging him to cut rates further. The origin of this dangerous advice comes from the inverted treasury yield curve, with short term rates now at 4.25 per cent as against 4 per cent for long term rates. Now what these people are really saying is that Bernanke should force rates down below 4 per cent.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Fed Fumbling in The Dark; Investors Hold Anti-Recession Stocks In Uncertain Times / Stock-Markets / US Economy
By: Money_and_Markets
Mike Larson writes: I don't know if you're a fan of the Benny Hill Show or if you've ever watched those old Keystone Cops films, but they both featured madcap comedy skits, with a bunch of people running around, often at cross-purposes, and ultimately accomplishing nothing.
And I was reminded of them this week by the Federal Reserve's latest actions. To recap:
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Academics at the Fed Have No Real Money Markets Experience - US In Stagflation / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
In this issue:
- Things That Go Bump in the Night
- Foolish Investor of the Year?Really?
- Breaking the Buck at Bank of America
- Inflation Rears it Ugly Head
- Academics at the Fed
- 1% Growth plus 4.3% Inflation = Stagflation
- London, Switzerland, and Barcelona
From ghoulies and ghosties,
And long-leggedy beasties,
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!
-Traditional Scottish Prayer
It's been a long time since we have looked in my worry closet, but there are definitely bumping sounds coming from behind the door. While largely over-looked, Bank of America closed down an "enhanced cash" fund and did the unthinkable and broke the buck. But the real story is even worse. I make the suggestion that you look at your cash funds and see what is in its portfolio. You may want to redeem ahead of the crowd.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
US Interest Rate Cuts and Mortgage Bailout Will Avert US Recession in 2008 / Interest-Rates / US Economy
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The US Fed's reaction to date to the housing bust and US subprime mortgage credit crisis is by making deep cuts in US interest rates that today will see at least a further 0.25% cut bringing the rate down to 4.25%, off 1% from the 5.25% high just 3 months ago.
The US Fed is clearly in full blown panic mode, with the aim of the cuts to avert a potentially deep US recession.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
US Consumer Confidence Heads South Signaling Recession / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
In the second installment of our special two day Outside the Box letter, we have good friend Greg Weldon's giving us his thoughts in his regular "Weldon's Money Monitor." Consumer expenditures account for approximately 2/3rds of
U.S. GDP. A precursor to any underlying changes in consumer expenditures is consumer sentiment. Greg explains to us the state of the American consumer and how current federal and institutional initiatives will not help thwart the looming recession. You can read his work at www.weldononline.com . Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Is the Fed Too Late to Head Off a US Recession? / Economics / US Economy
By: Donald_W_Dony
With the ongoing weakness of many of the key leading indicators spurred on by the subprime mortgage debacle, has the U.S. already started to slip into a recession? We know the housing and banking sectors remain in a free fall with no apparent evidence of a bottom and that consumer confidence has dramatically declined in recent months. But is that the signal of the start? And what is the definition of a recession? Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 03, 2007
US Interest Rate Cuts To Not Show In Economic Data Until Late 2008 / Interest-Rates / US Economy
By: Paul_J_Nolte
The last three weeks really just didn't count as far as the markets were concerned. Never mind the multiple 200+ down days for the Dow, the multiple 200+ up days or the many “key” 9 to 1 volume days on both up and down days, as the markets are right where they were on November 7 th , before all the bad (and good) stuff happened. The housing and sub-prime issues continue to pervade trader's thoughts and actions and until an infusion of cash to Citigroup, investors felt we were on the cusp of a financial meltdown. Comments from Fed officials in advance of their meeting on the 11 th also indicated they stood at the ready to cut rates further to avoid further erosion in the economy.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, December 02, 2007
The Grand Sale of American Assets Such as 5% of Citicorp to Abdu Dhabi / Economics / US Economy
By: Andy_Sutton
Turn on the evening news in most cities recently and you will see images of rows of homes, many for sale, many with foreclosure signs in the front yards. On weekends the tables come out and are strategically placed in the driveway heavily laden with the possessions of the soon-to-be-prior occupants of the home. These are selling off anything they can muster to scrape together rent for the next roof over their heads, the next car payment, or the next VISA bill. Most observers look at this and have at least a pang of pity or perhaps take a moment to be thankful for their good fortune.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Era of Credit Driven Consumer Spending Comes to an End / Economics / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
In an article this week that examined the troubles brewing in Citigroup's mortgage business, the Wall Street Journal focused on Natalie Brandon, a 51 year old married woman from Granada Hills, CA, who is currently unable to make the payments on her $625,000 adjustable rate home loan from Citigroup, despite the fact that the rate will not even reset higher until June of next year. Amazingly, the Journal reported that Mrs. Brandon bought the house in 1985 for just $105,000, but had chosen to refinance five times over the past seven years, borrowing more than $500,000 and spending every single penny. While this may be an extreme example of American profligacy, it is by no means unique. Unfortunately this type of behavior typifies everything that is wrong with the modern American economy.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Bernanke Interest Rate Cycle, Age of Turbulence and Pavlov's Dog / Interest-Rates / US Economy
By: Tim_Iacono
Well, the big news yesterday was that Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn "opened the door" to more interest rate cuts by the Fed and, as a result, equities rallied.
Like Pavlov's dogs it seems.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Fed Fails to Comprehend the Problems Facing US Economy and Dollar / Interest-Rates / US Economy
By: Alex_Wallenwein
US Fed vice-chairman Donald Kohn is in a quandary.
I'm sure he's not alone. It's just that he happened to be tasked with making a set of statements that would have been far too embarrassing for Bernanke to make. That is especially so after Ron Paul publicly slapped him with his own ledger book, so to speak.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, November 29, 2007
US Fed Behind the Economic and Housing Curve / Economics / US Economy
By: Jim_Willie_CB
The US Federal Reserve is behind the curve. Great consequences have resulted and are likely to continue to result. Many words can be used to describe this group. What come to mind are inept, compromised, corrupted, distracted, ill-trained, but also clueless, deceptive, myopic, overly cautious, and off the market in their focus. When they remain transfixed on economic growth versus price inflation, they are stuck in the past, in a world that no longer exists. The corrupt spew of fraudulent mortgage bonds disseminated throughout the investment community has both crippled the banking system from profound distrust, and inhibited the USEconomy from credit supply fraught with obstacles. With their irresponsibly slow reaction to significant threats to the entire economic and financial system, the hapless USFed has put several things at grave risk. Since mid-September, the USFed has cut the official rate twice by a total of 75 basis points (0.75%), and reduced the discount rate. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Leading Indicators: Part 1- U.S. Economic Health is Weakening / Economics / US Economy
By: Donald_W_Dony
After almost five years of easy continuous expansion, the cracks are beginning to show in the U.S. economy. From a failing U.S. dollar to deep investor fears in the housing market to ever louder concerns over the twin deficits. This article examines three key indicators and their implications in 2008. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Red Queen US Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_Petillo
"Well, in our country," said Alice (of Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass" fame), still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else — if you run very fast for a long time, as we've been doing."
"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 26, 2007
US Recession Avoidable - The Falling US Dollar and the US Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
What a week that was. Australia's conservative government gets thrashed by a bunch of unioncrats, lefty journalists and an economic illiterate with intellectual pretensions while at the same time as the US dollar goes high diving. These are certainly interesting times.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Is the US Economy Facing a Credit Crunch? / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Every time an economic crisis seems to be on the horizon you can bet your last dollar that scores of advisers will be warning that a drop in consumer confidence will cause a fall in consumer demand which will drive the economy into recession. For the umpteenth time, business spending drive the economy and not consumption. The Bureau of Economic Analysis now includes intermediate goods in its calculations, producing what it calls “gross output”. This figure shows business spending at about 50 per cent of aggregate spending. My own calculations put total spending at about $30 trillionRead full article... Read full article...
Friday, November 16, 2007
Small Businesses Join Big Businesses and Households In Their US Economic Pessimism / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
The Small Business Optimism Index, which is tallied by the National Federation of Independent Business, dropped 1.1 points in October to a level of 96.2. As shown in Chart 1, this October level is below levels that prevailed just before the past two recessions. Charts 2 and 3 show qualitatively similar results for large corporation CEOs and for the little people – households. It seems as though just about everyone is as or more pessimistic about the economic landscape as they were just prior to the past two recessions. Everyone, that is, except the stock jockeys today. I wonder what Kool-Aid they are drinking.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, November 15, 2007
US October Retail Sales Growth Slows Whilst PPI Inflation Shows Small Rise / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
Retail sales rose 0.2% in October, following a revised 0.7% gain in the prior month. Excluding autos and gasoline , retails sales edged up 0.1% during October after a 0.2% increase in the prior month. The component of retail sales which excludes autos, gas , and building materials, often used to gauge underlying strength of consumer spending, held steady in October following a 0.2% gain in the prior month. The August reading (-0.4% now vs. 0.0 original estimate) of this measure shows a downward revision, which points to a downward revision of consumer spending in the third quarter. Each of these measures sends a convincing message of soft retail sales.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
United States Living on Borrowed Time As Housing Bust Could Bankrupt Mortgage Insurers / Economics / US Economy
By: Mike_Whitney
On Monday, Asian stock markets took another drubbing on fears that the credit squeeze which began in the United States would continue to worsen in the months ahead. Every index from Tokyo to Sidney fell sharply continuing the “self-reinforcing” vicious cycle of losses started last week on Wall Street. The Nikkei 225 average fell 3.3%, India's Sensex dropped 2.9%, Taiwan tumbled 3.5%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng slumped a whopping 4.5%. The subprime tsunami is presently headed towards downtown Manhattan, where nervous traders are already hunkered-down in the trenches---ashen and wide-eyed-- awaiting the opening bell. Local supermarkets reported an unexpected early–morning run on Valium and Tylenol. Good thinking. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Depreciating US Dollar and the US Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Well, we are certainly living in interesting times, bearing in mind that this is said to be a Chinese curse. Consumer confidence is down even though consumer spending seems to be holding up month after month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops by 223.55, sending out panic signals to numerous investors. Yet this fall amounted to only 1.69 per cent. We then get the news that productivity leapt to an annualised rate of 4.9 per cent in the July-September quarter while unit labour costs eased.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, November 09, 2007
Deteriorating Economic Conditions From Main Street to Wall Street / Economics / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
Recent reports of better than expected job growth and a 3.9% gain in 3rd quarter GDP have spawned much talk about how the resilience of the American consumer is enabling the country to weather the subprime storm. In reality, the unfolding financial crisis on Wall Street is in fact a direct result of the deteriorating economic conditions on Main Street . Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 05, 2007
How Long Can The US Economy Defy Economic Gravity? / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Some readers (judging by their tone, I think they are Democrats) took issue with my view that there was still steam in the US economy and that the subprime fiasco would not sink it (It's not the housing market that threatens the US economy). I also pointed out more than once that readers should not be surprised if the Fed cuts rates. Well, the jury has passed its verdict: real gross domestic product came in at an annual rate of 3.9 per cent for the third quarter. This was on top of the 3.8 per cent growth rate for the second quarter. Taken at face value one would have to say that the US economy is accelerating.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 05, 2007
U.S. Economy: Some Cracks Showing / Economics / US Economy
By: Donald_W_Dony
Speculation continues about the U.S. economy. Is it going into a recession or not? There are numerous reports from analysts and economists on credible news outlets like Bloomberg and CNBC about the state of affairs of the American nation. All market pundits seem to provide good evidence in support of their opinions, but I have not seen or heard a commentary on one of the most reliable leading indicators of the economy; the stock market. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Growth Recession and Early Stages of a Housing Depression / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
This week in Outside the Box, Van Hoisington and Dr. Lacy Hunt of Hoisington Management undertake an assiduous analysis of the economy, specifically quantifying the underlying impact of the real estate market on GDP growth through the follow-on adverse effects on consumer spending.
As outlined in previous publications, the housing debacle has not by any stretch of the imagination reached bottom, having an estimated $800 billion of adjustable rate mortgages reset between October 2007, and December 2008. These resets Hoisington indicates are the home buyers who bought at the top of the 2006 housing market, many of whom paid zero down and received mortgage rates of 0%.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 29, 2007
US Economy: The Subprime Market, Depreciation and the Exchange Rate / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Current economic commentary is misleading a great number of people. The problem is — as always — bad economics. We can all recall that it was not long ago when we were told by a horde of financial and economic advisers that the subprime market would sink the American economy. What this lot overlooked was the important fact that only about 14 per cent of mortgages are subprime. Moreover, less than 2 per cent of these are in trouble.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, October 26, 2007
US Administrations Economic Gang - Send in the Clowns / Economics / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
Four leading members of the Bush administration's economic team, including Ed Lazear, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Al Hubbard, director of the National Economic Council, and Jim Nussle, director of the Office of Management and Budget, convened on a CNBC panel earlier this week and confidently forecast that the economy would avoid a recession. As they uttered their platitudes, we learned that housing sales plunged again, with national inventories of unsold homes hitting a new record high, and that Merrill Lynch disclosed nearly $8 billion in losses. Set against this backdrop of deteriorating economic news, it would have been more honest, and perhaps more effective, if the Administration team came on stage in clown makeup and oversize shoes.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, October 26, 2007
A Different Kind of US Recession - Nominal Vs Real Decline in GDP / Economics / US Economy
By: Andy_Sutton
In a recent interview with Britain's Telegraph newspaper, Jim Rogers, the world-renowned investor declared the United States to be in recession. He didn't stop there. He has taken the next step and rid himself of the downtrodden US Dollar in favor of Chinese Yuan, Japanese Yen and the Swiss Franc. A bold move? A lone voice in a sea of complacency? Not so; Rogers is just the latest in a growing line of credible voices to abandon the US and its struggling currency. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
US Economy Gradually Sliding Into Recession / Economics / US Economy
By: Ned_W_Schmidt
This week's chart shows U.S. economy gradually sliding into recession. This indicator is the average year-to-year change of about twenty measures. Many are real measures, like tons or units, so some of false impressions created by incorrect price calculations are avoided. Only recently has the collapse of the housing sector been acknowledged as a serious negative on U.S. economy. Many have mistakenly believed Wall Street could “feed” the nation.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
US Economy in Meltdown? / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
On Friday the 19 October the Dow Jones industrial average plummeted by over 360 points. This immediately sent alarm bells ringing throughout the financial community ? along with nightmares of October 1929 when the Dow Jones dropped from 400 to 145 in November. This dramatic fall in share prices was not confined to America. From March 1929 to June 1931 the prices of Dutch shares dived by 60 per cent; for Germany it was 61.7 per cent from April 1927 to June 1931, and French share prices dropped by 55.7 per cent from February to June 1931. (Wilhem Röpke, Crises & Cycles , William Hodge and Company Limited, 1936, p. 57 )Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, October 19, 2007
Consumer Inflation – Likely to Trend Higher in the Months Ahead and Multi-Family Housing Starts Plunge / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
After being relatively benign in the previous four months, the increase in the CPI flared up in September, increasing 0.3% month-to-month and 2.8% year-over-year. In August, the year-over-year increase was only 2.0%. After having fallen for three consecutive months, the energy component of the CPI increased 0.3% in September. Food prices continued their steady monthly increases, rising 0.5% in September. Unless there is a sharp drop in energy prices, year-over-year increases in the CPI are likely to climb even higher as energy prices now are considerably higher than they were in the fourth quarter of last year.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Housing Market Down, Inflation Up / Economics / US Economy
By: Tim_Iacono
Two important economic reports were released just a short time ago. Housing starts and permits for new constuction are way down and inflation is on the rise. Surprise!Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
U.S. Economy Ends Third Quarter with a Whimper As Housing Slump Continues / Economics / US Economy
By: Paul_L_Kasriel
The Federal Reserve reported today that industrial production (IP) in September increased by only 0.1% after being flat in August. The 3.9% annualized growth in Q3 IP (versus 3.6% in Q2) was "front-loaded" with the 0.6% month-to-month increase in July. Capacity utilization (CAPU) was unchanged in September from August at 82.1%. In this cycle, the peak CAPU occurred in July and August 2006 at 82.1%.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 15, 2007
The State of US economy: Greenspan and Bernanke Have A Lot To Answer For / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
Because I haven't read Greenspan's book The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World I'll have to confine myself to those parts that some commentators have fastened on to and hope they are accurate. It has been reported that Greenspan believes that the collapse of the Soviet Union made the job of fighting inflation much easier because the output of millions of workers who had been freed from communism exerted a downward pressure on the prices.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, October 14, 2007
US in a Slow Motion Recession But May Avoid a Technical Recession / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
In this issue:
The GDP Equation
How Low Can You Go?
The Key Variable Problem
The Importance of Fiscal Policy
The Slow Motion Recession
New Orleans and More Birthdays
A recession is technically defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This week we look at how the GDP is actually calculated to give us an idea as to the potential for a recession. We re-visit my concepts of a Slow Motion Recession and a Muddle Through Economy. We briefly look at the sliding dollar and housing, and see how it all adds up. You'll need to put your thinking caps on, but it should be interesting.
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Friday, October 12, 2007
Why a Weak US Dollar Hurts U.S. Manufacturers / Currencies / US Economy
By: Peter_Schiff
The vast majority of economists are currently hailing the freefall of the dollar as a windfall for American business. While some domestic manufacturers may enjoy some initial benefits from a weaker dollar, they will ultimately suffer many adverse consequences as well. More importantly, the dollar's demise is a disaster for American consumers.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 08, 2007
US Economy’s Bubble: Casting the Recession Runes / Economics / US Economy
By: Gerard_Jackson
That the US economy is running into problems is becoming clearer by the day. It is equally clear that America’s economic commentariat is still wedded to the fallacy that consumption drives economies. Time after time I keep reading that consumer spending is more than 70 per cent of GDP which means that if consumer spending falls the economy will slide into recession. What matters, however, is total spending, of which business spending is the most important component. The problem here is that the commentariat has unthinkingly swallowed the fallacy that including spending between stages of production would be a case of double-counting.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, October 06, 2007
The Prevent A US Recession At All costs Defense / Economics / US Economy
By: Andy_Sutton
Undoubtedly, I am not alone in my amazement how time and time again, in the waning moments of the big game, defenses give up wins by using the 'prevent defense'. In football, it involves backing up your defense on its heels and allowing itself to be nickeled and dimed to death by any quarterback who can throw a spiral. The idea is not to give up the big play. Despite the best of intentions, however, the results are generally the same: a big loss.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, October 06, 2007
US In a Slow Motion Recession Due to Housing Market Bubble Bust / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
In this issue:
Why 110,000 Jobs Is Not Enough
GDP Is Set to Be Lower
The Slow Motion Recession
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
One (Cut) and Done?
Republicans for Protectionism?
A New Chair for an Old Back
Austin and The Ten Tenors
The market certainly seemed pleased with the new jobs number. The glass is more than half full - or is it? Fed Vice-chairman seemed to suggest that the economy was getting better and the Fed might not need to make any further rate cuts. Is it now "One (Cut) and Done?" This week we look at what employment growth tells us about the growth of the US economy, spend some more time looking at how a fall in home prices will affect consumer spending, and muse on whether the Fed is indeed done cutting. We look at the scariest headline I have read in the Wall Street Journal in years, and I tell you about a chair that has done wonders for my back. It's a lot to cover, so let's jump right in.
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Friday, October 05, 2007
The Big Picture - 2008 Economic Contraction to Hit US Economy Due to Dollar Stagflation / Economics / US Economy
By: Brian_Bloom
There is an anomaly in the equity markets which seems not to be drawing enough attention.
This anomaly can be seen by comparing the following two monthly charts (courtesy Decisionpoint.com).
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Wednesday, October 03, 2007
US Economy Sliding towards Stagflation - Global Bond Vigilantes Hooked on Gold / Economics / US Economy
By: Gary_Dorsch
Nowadays, traders of all different stripes are betting on more rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in the months ahead. Since mid-July, the odds of a US economic recession have been mounting, led by sliding home prices and the first loss of US jobs in four years in August. Sales of new single-family homes fell 8.3% in August to a 795,000 annual sales pace, to stand 21.3% lower from a year ago, and the glut of unsold existing US homes has swelled to the highest in 18-years. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Greenspan's Dark Legacy Unmasked / Economics / US Economy
By: Stephen_Lendman
After retiring as the Federal Reserve's second longest ever serving chairman, Alan Greenspan is now cashing in big late in life at age 81. He chaired the Fed's Board of Governors from the time he was appointed in August, 1987 to when he stepped down January 31, 2006 amidst a hail of ill-deserved praise for his stewardship during good and perilous times. USA Today noted "the onetime jazz band musician went out on a high note." The Wall Street Journal said "his economic legacy (rests on results) and seems secure." The Washington Post cited his "nearly mythical status." Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 01, 2007
Unpredictable US Economy Ahead / Economics / US Economy
By: Regent_Markets
A new low for the US dollar, and a mixed bag of economic news, gave investors few clues as to what the FOMC might do next with the interest rate.Read full article... Read full article...