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

Early Read on Existing Home Sales in August

Lawler: Early Read on Existing Home Sales in August, Calculated Risk From housing economist Tom Lawler: Early Read on Existing Home Sales in August Based on publicly-available local realtor/MLS reports released across the country through today, I project that existing home sales as estimated by the National Association of Realtors ran at a seasonally adjusted annual […]

Industrial and Manufacturing Production Rebounded Strongly in August

And now, some good news: industrial and manufacturing production rebounded strongly in August  – by New Deal democrat In the past, industrial production has been the King of Coincident Indicators, since its peaks and troughs tended to coincide almost exactly with the onset and endings of recessions. That weighting has faded somewhat since the accession […]

Lots of Shoulds and Coulds in a Recital of a Potential Heart in the Harris-Walz Economic Policies

Robert’s proposal as to what should be in presidential candidate Kamal Harris’s future goals for the nation and its citizens. They are good targets. The issue being whether she can convince a Congress these are worthy to pursue regardless of politics. The key to what should be (and hopefully will be) Kamalanomics by Robert Reich […]

A strong dollar is good news for most of us — but not everybody wins

by Rafael Nam NPR The American dollar has been soaring this year relative to most currencies in the world. That’s providing a lot of benefits to Americans — but it’s also creating a lot of pain. The strong dollar brings a number of advantages. It reinforces America’s economic dominance and it helps reduce inflation by […]

Q2 Update: Delinquencies, Foreclosures and REO

by Bill McBride Calculated Risk Newsletter Intro: Former Angry Bear writer Bill McBribe taking up the issues of Mortgage Delinquency, Foreclosures, and Real Estate Owned (REO) foreclosed housing. The value of which decreased in the second quarter to (what Bill calls) a historically low total. Read on. We will NOT see a surge in foreclosures that would […]

Listeria Contamination with Processed Foods

Usually, listeria contamination comes from poor cleanup after a “lot-size” of a product is complete. It thrives in a moist, colder environment. Lunch meat, hot dog, sausage etc, manufacturing environment can be prone to having listeria contamination. After a lot or a shift is complete, the machines and the rooms have to be cleaned. The […]

U.S. Defense Spending in Historical and International Context

The U.S. economy has been growing faster than military spending, so defense spending as a share of GDP has been decreasing. While the $dollars spent are increasing, the percentage of GDP Defense Spending takes up has been decreasing since 1952. Perhaps a better question is do we really need to spend this much on Defense? […]

Immigrant Deportations During the Trump Administration as Compared to Previous Administrations

by Tara Watson Williams College EconoFact “Relative to the late Bush and early Obama eras, the Trump administration removed a modest number of immigrants from the nation’s interior.” One would not think such was true. Apparently and as in other instances, the numbers say differently. Keep in mind this report is from 2021. It does […]