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

Jobless claims, with hurricane effects abating, claims return to normal

 – by New Deal democrat It appears that, as I suspected earlier this month, the big YoY jump in initial jobless claims was largely due to the effects of the hurricanes, and is now abating. First, for the week initial claims declined another -12,000 to 216,000. The four week moving average declined -2,250 to 236,500. […]

Prelim. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Report

I included Table 1 for you to use as a backup to the written preliminary report. Click on it to enlarge. I have to leave and go to the Veterans Admin. to pass on more information. When I get back, I will add an opinion to this commentary and delete this message. Real gross domestic […]

No, overregulation isn’t crushing the American free market

Here’s House Speaker Mike Johnson: “We want to take a blowtorch to the regulatory state. These agencies have been weaponized against the people. It’s crushing the free market; it’s like a boot on the neck of job creators and entrepreneurs and risk takers. And so health care is one of the sectors, and we need […]

U.S. Economic Growth Extends Solid Streak

by Harriet Torry WSJ U.S. GDP rose at a 2.8% annual rate in the third quarter, easing slightly from the previous quarter. The U.S. economy continued its recent strong stretch this summer, bolstered by hefty consumer and government spending. Gross domestic product increased at a 2.8% annual rate in the third quarter, adjusted for seasonality and inflation, […]

With Medicare’s approval, a health insurance company can enroll a member of its marketplace into its Medicare Advantage coverage

Behind this commentary: With Medicare’s specific approval, a health insurance company can enroll a member of its marketplace or other commercial plan into its Medicare Advantage coverage when that individual becomes eligible for Medicare. Called “seamless conversion,” the process requires the insurer to send a letter explaining the new coverage, which takes effect unless the member […]

Stagnation Gone and US Productivity Growing

A quick and brief review of the economic trends and the third quarter. My only opinion on this recital being Supply Chain returning to a norm should be given more credit. Its manipulation was definitely one of the major influences on inflation. Beyond the standard metrics of industrial investment, it is also worth noting how […]

What if Trump wins?

The election is very close.  This piece explains why the polls could easily be off by 5 points or more.  Because the polling errors are very likely correlated across states, this means there is a reasonable chance that the election will not end up being close, but we have no idea who is ahead.  Trump […]

Real GDP for Q3 nicely positive, but long leading components mediocre to negative for the second quarter in a row

 – by New Deal democrat As usual, I’ll take a quick look at this morning’s headline GDP numbers for Q3 before passing on to my more important focus on the release’s leading components.  Real GDP grew at a 2.8% annualized rate in Q3. Just like Q2, this is a perfectly good number in line with the […]

Healthcare and the 2024 presidential election

Republicans have long objected to the ACA, and Trump tried several times to have it overturned; he’s claimed he’ll replace it with something better, but in eight years, he’s never come up with even a rudiment of a proposal. And here’s Speaker Johnson at a campaign stop yesterday: “No Obamacare?” an attendee asked Johnson, referring […]

Immigrants and Crime in the United States

by Explainer Migration Policy Institute Immigrants in the United States commit crimes at lower rates than the U.S.-born population, not-with-standing the assertion by critics that immigration is linked to higher rates of criminal activity. This reality of reduced criminality, which holds across immigrant groups including unauthorized immigrants, has been demonstrated through research as well as […]