EconoFact Weekend Reading: Guns vs. Butter Programs The phrase “Guns vs. Butter” is used to illustrate the choice a government must make between spending on the military and spending on social programs. President Trump’s recently released 2027 budget proposal tilts towards guns and away from butter. It calls for a 44 percent increase in defense spending, boosting it to $1.5 trillion, while reducing non-defense spending by 10%. […]
– by New Deal democrat While inflation and interest rates took a whack at some of the data, most of the financial-related series (like the yield curve in the bond market and credit conditions) remain very positive. And consumer spending, likely by the uppermost income groups, actually posted one of its very best YoY comparisons in […]
AB: I can only wonder why there would be any decrease after we initiated a war with Iran. “The Atlanta Fed’s GDP Now tracker pointed to tepid 1.3% growth, with the economy already hampered by severe winter weather and rising energy costs. A slowing trend before the war-induced oil price shocks.” And the Trump administration […]
Since the start of the war with Iran, I have been wondering why we had not seen an interview with John Kerry about this. I would have thought he would have been someone to talk to from the beginning. After all, he is most credited with the agreement we had with Iran before Trump did […]
Economic Information from Oil Price.com concerning reserves and pricing based on global interests and actions. In a bit of a flux right now. Not much stability and a lot of rent taking by the oil and gasoline industry. Some detail. More at the Oil Price site. “Oil Ignores Escalation, Logs Biggest Weekly Drop Since 2025” […]
– by New Deal democrat As anticipated, the March CPI packed a wallop, up 0.9% for the month and causing the YoY% gain to increase to 3.3%, while core CPI was a tame 0.2% with a YoY% gain of 2.6%. Because of the impact of that big number, I am departing from my usual format to […]
Political events have moved so fast recently that I’ve found it hard to crystalize my thoughts enough to write a post. When that happens, I turn to topics related to science, which are in my wheelhouse. You may have read about how a colonel was rescued deep inside Iran using a technology dubbed “Ghost Murmer.” […]
“Recessionary signals in February personal income and spending, but some bright spots as well” – by New Deal democrat Personal income and spending are among the most important monthly indicators of all, because they give us a detailed look at consumption by the broad range of American households. And since consumption leads employment, they also […]
It’s consistent with how other countries, organizations, and people have defeated him. We are supposed to negotiate before the war, not during it. Trump was not going to do it anyways. He had another 12 threats to make. Some remarks by Robert Reich. And the fool to both the world (and Israel too) is looking […]
Some stories about Student Loans. In the past, I have written about student loans. If in the end, you can pay them off with little delay, you are golden. The problems arise when a student can not find a decent paying job. It becomes a matter of what do I have for dinner as there […]