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

California dreaming

I’ve been to California a few times, for scientific meetings, for vacation and once for a friend’s wedding. I’ve had a good experience each time. It has always struck me as an expensive place to live, though, and I’m definitely not a beach person. Elon Musk is warning us that the nation will become “Californicated” […]

Kamala Harris’s economic policy slate more popular than Trump’s – poll

Kind of have to jump around on this one. Both commentaries by Kareem are good. I just happen to like the Nationalism one better. Christian Nationalism is Here & People Can Now Communicate in Dreams (Really!) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar US elections 2024, The Guardian SUMMARY: Kamala Harris’s economic policies proved far more popular than Donald Trump’s […]

A housing crisis? Location, location, location

Housing is expensive here in East Providence. It’s even more expensive in Boston, an hour from here. Some folks live in Rhode Island and commute to Boston. When we were house-hunting in the Providence area in the Spring of ’22, the real estate market was white hot. We were out-bid on three offers. Making an […]

A machine learning algorithm can identify 500 people, who go on to be shot within 18 months.

– by Sara B. Heller and Max Kapustin Econofact, November 2022 Let me be clear on the topic before you read the article. The full text is: “In a research  paper with colleagues, we find that it is possible by using data such as arrest and victimization records that cities already collect, to accurately identify specific […]

Despite Helene, housing permits and starts stabilized in September; but construction based yellow flag remains

– by New Deal democrat Much of the data that is being released, like yesterday’s jobless claims data, has to be viewed with an asterisk after it, because of hurricane disruptions. As an addendum to yesterday’s industrial production report, I failed to mention that the BEA that “the effects of two hurricanes subtracted an estimated 0.3 […]

Real retail sales increased in September, but concern – and their yellow flag – continue

– by New Deal democrat A periodic reminder, real retail sales is one of my favorite economic indicators, because it tells us so much about the state of the consumer, and since consumption leads employment, it is a short leading indicator for that as well. In September retail sales in August rose 0.4% on a […]

Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization – G.17

Current Release October 17, 2024 Market Groups The major market groups posted mixed results in September. Among consumer goods, the production of durables decreased 0.7 percent. In contrast, the index for nondurables increased 0.5 percent, boosted by a 1.7 percent increase in energy goods. The output of business equipment declined 3.5 percent in September, weighed […]

The shallow downturn in industrial production continues

 – by New Deal democrat Before I get to the (relatively) good news in retail sales, let’s take a look at the bad news from industrial production. On a monthly basis, production declined -0.3%. Manufacturing declined -0.4%. There were also downward revisions to last month. Both of these continue to slowly fade from their 2022 […]

A Portion of the CEPR Disability and Economic Justice Chartbook

A conversation on providing for disability. The right to work as an equal also extends to the disabled. Contingencies are made for the disabled and is a key factor in having the ability to provide for themselves. Doors that open with the touch of a button. Wheelchair accommodations to go up a step or a […]