Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Waldman on Waldmann

“the economist who thinks he has caught what all the virologists have missed” is right here Paul. OK now I have to put my mouth where my mouth is. I do honestly think I have answers which are of interest to actual virologists. Start with the antibody, then find the antigen. This is really a […]

David Stockman is still alive and kicking. Let’s see what he has to say about Covid-19.

Did you know Stockman is still alive?  I didn’t until I ran across some “analysis” of his at The Brownstone Institute.  Let’s look at his latest. Stockman is troubled that Biden and his advisers wear masks when they meet (my emphasis): Yet if the Vaxx is actually a spread stopper, why do they sit there […]

Final existing home sales report of 2021 is positive

Final existing home sales report of 2021 is positive  As we wind down the year, most of the remaining data will be from the housing sector. Tomorrow we get new home sales, then next week one final round of house price indexes. These summers are hot and long, and if you don’t have Residential Shades, […]

Low Income Families Spend Tax Credit on Basic Needs and Education

This topic is blowing up in the news. Politicians claiming recipients are laying out cash for drugs and other unneeded things. Funny thing, they didn’t give a damn when 20 million hydrocodone and oxycodone tabs showed up at five pharmacies in 4 small towns having a total population of ~22000 in 2016. Gotta keep those […]

Coronavirus dashboard for December 21: exponential spread is here

Coronavirus dashboard for December 21: exponential spread is here  As I warned you on Saturday, there might be some hooky-playing this week; and as I also said, that was “Omicron permitting.” Well, Omicron warrants an update today. Because exponential spread is underway especially in those parts of the country most exposed to international visitors. But […]

Land Rich, Cash Poor

Farmer and Agriculture Economist Michael Smith “[Land profits] are a species of revenue which the owner, in many cases, enjoys without the care and attention of his own” -Adam Smith In other words, land appreciates not by the owners doing, but his neighbors.  Sure, there are certain things that can be done to improve land, […]

The Manchin mess

I understand why congressional Democrats are frustrated with Manchin.  But what on earth is the point of this: “I do believe the president when he said to us, and to me personally, that he got a commitment from Senator Manchin or [Manchin] would have to go back on his word,” Jayapal told reporters on a […]

PPI, Core Prices, Demand Services and Goods Increase

November’s retail sales, industrial production, producer prices, & new home construction; October’s business inventories, Summary: Record 9.6% Annual Increase in November Producer Price Index; Record 6.9% YoY Increase in Core Prices; Record 7.1% YoY Increase for Final Demand Services, Record YoY 14.9% Increase for Final Demand Goods, and a 46+ year Record for Prices of […]

Un Tiro Manchin

The italian idiom for a low blow (also for an unexpected blow) is “un tiro mancino” literally a left handed blow. Manchin hit all the other Democrats with a tiro mancino yesterday. Notably “mancino” means left handed so, hard as it is to believe, he had ancestors who were lefties as in left handed. Aside […]