Analysis Topic: Economic Trends Analysis
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Monday, October 15, 2012
U.S. Labour Force BLS Participation Rate Projections Charting Errors / Economics / Employment
The following graph plots labor force participation rates by BLS economist Mitra Toossi in November 2006 with new projections for the participation rate as of January 2012:
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Monday, October 15, 2012
OECD Choices: Death By Economic Austerity Or By Debt / Economics / Global Debt Crisis 2012
MORGAN STANLEY SAYS
In late July, Morgan Stanley summarized the no-win that laisser-faire, or rather laisser-aller deciders committed to doing nothing rational, have created for themselves and for us all in any Developed Market, advanced industrial (also called postindustrial) country. MS said the choice of fiscal, economic, monetary and related policy was between the Scylla of chase-your-tail austerity and the Charybdis of sovereign insolvency. In a rapidly rising number of countries, now daily reality in Europe's PIIGS, both these no- hope choices are being operated: they are not mutually exclusive.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Deflation / Economics / Deflation
Inflation in the U.S. has historically been a wartime phenomenon, including not only shooting wars but also the Cold War and the War on Poverty. That's when the federal government vastly overspends its income on top of a robust private economy—obviously not the case today when government stimulus isn't even offsetting private sector weakness. Deflation reigns in peacetime, and I think it is again, with the end of the Iraq engagement and as the unwinding of Afghanistan expenditures further reduce military spending.
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Saturday, October 13, 2012
When It Comes to Forecasting, Consumers are Smarter Than 'Conomists / Economics / US Economy
The Thompson Reuters University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index was released this morning, and like just about every other September release, it hugely beat economists consensus expectations. I had written several pieces in September alluding to the fact that withholding tax collections had surged early in the month and continued to do well thereafter, foreshadowing what would be stronger than expected economic releases for September.
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Saturday, October 13, 2012
What do White-Winged Doves have to do with Economics? / Economics / US Economy
Everything!
This short, nonfiction, tragicomedy personifies what is wrong with our country, our economy and our totally inept and very dysfunctional legal system that has become a leech to taxpayers and a threat to humanity.
The Great Depression of the 1930s was brought upon by lawlessness. Documented, historical proof that a functioning economy is dependent on a basic legal framework. One that we no longer have.
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Saturday, October 13, 2012
How Long Will Iran’s Hyperinflation Run For? / Economics / HyperInflation
Since I first estimated Iran’s hyperinflation at 69.6% per month, many people have asked, how long will it last? To answer that question, I have posted my “Hanke Chart of the Day” and will let the data speak for themselves.
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Friday, October 12, 2012
China Banking Ponzi Crisis, China Will Grow Old Before it Grows Rich / Economics / China Economy
The Ponzi schemes and off-balance sheet loans in China's banking system are in the forefront of today's news. Reuters reports Bank of China executive warns of shadow banking risks
Read full article... Read full article...A senior Chinese banking executive has warned against the proliferation of off-book wealth management products, comparing some to a Ponzi scheme in a rare official acknowledgement of the risks they pose to the Chinese banking system.
Friday, October 12, 2012
QE-U, China, and Great Economic Depression 2.0 / Economics / Great Depression II
With the pop from the USFed’s latest attempt at financial shock and awe already seeping from lackluster markets, and the teleprompter news networks losing steam over their promotion of the same, it is time to take a look back at the decisions made on 9/13/2012 and set the record straight on some things.
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Friday, October 12, 2012
America's New Great Depression - Sluggish Economic Growth, Staggering National Debt / Economics / Great Depression II
Dr. Rossen Vassilev writes: The American economy is caught between the Scylla of sluggish economic growth and the Charybdis of a staggering national debt aggravated by Washington’s unyielding partisan deadlock over taxes and spending cuts.
After the Great Recession of 2008, the approaching “fiscal cliff” at the end of this year threatens to cause even more economic havoc and bring about another recession which some “doom-and-gloom” economists darkly predict may turn into a new Great Depression.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Euro-zone Debt Crisis, What Happens When The Core Starts To Rot / Economics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
While we're all watching Spain and Greece, their alleged saviors in the rich core of the eurozone are starting to show serious signs of corrosion. This makes all the hollow words and promises coming from the world of troikas and politics sound even emptier than they already did. Not that anyone in Holland or Germany seems to even be prepared to think their economies are in for a big fall; for them, all the bad stuff is temporary, and soon it will all be better. Our proverbial Martian might be tempted to think denial is a river in northern Europe.
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Thursday, October 11, 2012
Spain Headed in a Downward Economic Death Spiral? / Economics / Spain
An article yesterday discusses what appears to be continued downward economic trends in Spain. I see this as hardly unexpected by those who have been following Spain closely.
I strongly suggest you read Austerity fails to close Spain's budget black hole if you have not already done that. If you participate in the financial markets, and Spain is not highly visible on your radar screen, I suggest it ought to be.
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Counterproductive Minimum Wage Mandates / Economics / Economic Theory
Working for wages has never been the path for significant wealth. Most people are not equipped nor do they have the inclination to be engaged in business endeavors that will earn them a viable living. The reluctance that most workers bring to their occupation stems from their inability or unwillingness of properly understanding the related components that are essential in creating wealth. While many view work as a curse, the indispensable reconciliation for a practical and tolerable acceptance of universal plight is that no one is owed a living.
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012
U.S. Jobs Report Will Not Derail Fed / Economics / Employment
The gold market dropped nearly $20 an ounce shortly after the U.S. Non-farm Payroll report was released on Friday. The Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate dropped to 7.8%, from 8.1% in the month prior. Gold prices retreated on the fear that the Fed may decide to truncate its debt monetization schemes in the near future.
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Tuesday, October 09, 2012
China and the Global Economic Crisis of Industrial Overcapacity / Economics / China Economy
EARLY MATURITY
This term now has a special meaning. Not only OECD economies, and especially their leading industrial manufacturing sectors, but also these sectors in the Emerging economies are downsizing at an accelerating pace. After the shrink in industrial and manufacturing activity, in the mature or "post mature" OECD economies, comes the downsizing of the entire economy which in Europe, especially in the PIIGS, is now the rule and a new "tradition". Any other way is now an eccentric hope, and outside the PIIGS an increasing number of other EU27 economies are moving to net shrinkage, including the UK and France.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
U.S. Unemployment Rate Drop Surprise / Economics / Unemployment
The unemployment number surprisingly dropped to 7.8% last Friday, and the shoot-from-the-hip crowd came out in force. To say that the jobs report was met with skepticism would be a serious understatement. The response that got the most immediate airplay was ex-GE CEO Jack Welch (who knows a few things about making a number say what you want it to say) tweeting, "Unbelievable job numbers ... these Chicago guys will do anything ... can't debate so change numbers."
Not be left out, Fox Business quoted Ed Butowsky of Chapwood Capital Investment: "'No way in the world these numbers are accurate,' he said. 'Somebody needs to do an investigation.... Investigate these numbers.'"
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Tuesday, October 09, 2012
U.S. Jobs Lies, Damned Lies and the 7.8% Unemployment Rate / Economics / Unemployment
Shadowstats.com Author John Williams wonders if politics are at play behind the latest jobs report, which shows 114,000 new U.S. jobs since September and a 0.3% drop in unemployment since August. Investors need to know how seasonal factors and month-to-month volatility affect the Bureau of Labor Statistics' reports. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report , Williams explains why he doubts that we are in a recovery. The take-away? Look at the unadjusted figures before you sell your gold.
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Monday, October 08, 2012
World's Brightest Minds Migrating to China, Brain Drain Creating the "Chinese Dream" / Economics / China Economy
China actively took up the issue of attracting highly skilled professionals, scientists and managers to the country. Foreigners are offered attractive conditions, and observers are already talking of this trend as the "brain drain" into the PRC. China that does not shy away from learning from other countries intends to create the "Chinese dream".
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Monday, October 08, 2012
U.S. Economic Recovery? Sign's of What's Ahead / Economics / US Economy
Several signs suggest economic contraction instead of expansion.
The first was recent front-page news: 8.1% August jobless rate. The number would have been higher, but it excludes people who gave up the job search.
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Sunday, October 07, 2012
The Iran Hyperinflation Fact Sheet / Economics / HyperInflation
Steve H. Hanke writes: For months, I have been following the collapse of the Iranian rial, tracking black-market (free-market) exchange-rate data from foreign-exchange bazaars in Tehran. Using the most recent data, I now estimate that Iran is experiencing hyperinflation – a price-level increase of over 50%, per month.
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Saturday, October 06, 2012
IMF Inadvertently Condemns The Eurozone, No Recovery Economic Until 2018! / Economics / Great Depression II
No global recovery until 2018, says Oliver Blanchard at portfolio.hu.: It’s not yet a lost decade... But it will surely take at least a decade from the beginning of the crisis for the world economy to get back to decent shape.
Well, that makes it easy then, you would think. Solves a lot of problems in one go. All bailouts and loans and other measures can now be halted and reversed when and where possible. Since there is no way our central banks and governments can keep on doing what they have done for another 6 years (yeah, I know lots of you doubt that, but there's just no way).
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