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

Repeat Sales House prices show signs of re-acceleration in the last data of 2024

 – by New Deal democrat I was on vacation through the weekend, and since there has been no significant economic data in the post-Christmas lull, I decided to continue to play hooky. After tomorrow, on Thursday the 2025 data will start in earnest, so expect a return to form later this week. In the meantime, […]

Fed’s Summary of Economic Projections isn’t living up to its promises

A multi-level failure of the Summary of Economic Projections (which includes the dot plot) was partly to blame. People came looking for clarity. They got even more uncertainty and the sense of a Fed ‘flying blind.’ What markets want is the Fed forecast. As a result, S&P was down and Treasuries were up 10 points. Uncertainty . […]

Shale Oil Production Decreasing

Consolidation of Shale oil Drillers and Processer. Fewer wildcat drillers bought out by the larger oil producers. Greater interest in financial returns. Fields are maturing, sweet spots dwindle, and greater interest in investors. Prices for gasoline will eventually increase. Drillers pushed U.S. production to a record of over 13 million barrels a day under President […]

Global warming and the economics of plant nutrition

Climate change denialists are fond of pointing out that rising CO2 levels will mean that plant life will flourish, since plants “breathe” carbon dioxide. And it’s true that, up to a point, plants do grow faster with higher CO2 levels. But those plants have less nutritional value for the animals that depend on them for […]

Economics of Jailing for Profit and Budgets

Jailing for Profit: When Budgets Depend on Locking People Up – by Nazish Dholakia Vera Institute Across the country, more than 1,300 counties have expanded existing jails or built new ones over the last 20 years, increasing the nation’s capacity to lock people up in jails by almost 40 percent. One of the drivers of this growth […]

Lessons for Progressives

As I read this and having grown up in Chicago. The layout sounds more like Chicago politics with precincts, districts, Wards, and Aldermen (Alderpersons). There was also a Mayor. Mayor Richard Daley owned Chicago. If you needed something done, you went to see your Alderman. Recommendations came in a similar manner and worked up the […]