Markg asked a question which I had thought about in the past, had it answered by someone else, moved on to something different, and quickly forgot the answer probably because it suited me. So, I went a looking to see what I could find as it interests me again also. And yes, Ken is correct. […]
The problem with oligarchs is that they have way too much money and wealth with which to do bad things if they choose to do so. Too many do. Most want to impose the golden rule, the one where he with the most gold rules. Wealth begets bad things like the god complex which begets […]
Residential housing construction gives *very* mixed signals in December; recessionary red flag continues – by New Deal democrat The most lading components of the long leading housing sector rose in this morning’s report for December, while the most important “hard” economic datapoint continued its decline into recession territory. First let’s compare the most leading datapoint, […]
Here in Southern New England, morning temps have mostly been in the 20s. We have a natural gas furnace and forced air keeping the house at 68°F. We had a heat pump in our house when I was growing up in East Tennessee. My dad, an MIT-trained engineer, was proud of the money he was […]
Typically, when I post New Deal Democrat; I will have the link to the post at the end of his economic commentaries. I also include a link to a previous commentary of his of the same topic. New Deal democrat follows the ups, downs, and stagnation of his topics. It is more work. However. I […]
January 16, 2025 In his final address to the nation last night, President Joe Biden issued a warning that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.” It is not […]
From storms in the Southeast to fires in California; there has to be a growing financial stress on the companies insuring the people and businesses there. A report from The American Prospect. Increasing damage from fires, hurricanes, and floods will destabilize a lightly regulated industry—and spill over into broader financial markets. The Next Financial Crisis: […]
– by New Deal democrat Since I posted earlier about why I follow jobless claims so closely, let me briefly restate why I pay a lot of attention to real retail sales. Retail sales have been tracked for over 75 years. When they are lower YoY, that has historically been a good (not perfect) indicator […]
A Refresher on Why I pay so much attention to them . . . – by New Deal democrat This might be a good time to reiterate why I post each week on jobless claims, and what my system is. Initial jobless claims in particular are a recognized leading indicator. In fact, they are one […]
The Russians are using an amazing approach to drone warfare in Ukraine — fiber optic controlled drones. They are avoiding radio detection and jamming by using drones which play out and communicate through an optical fiber. “Russian forces are using explosive-packed drones connected to their operators by fiber-optic cables to deliver unjammable precision strikes on […]