– by New Deal democrat Last week’s Q4 GDP release, as usual, updated two long leading indicators: proprietors’ income (a placeholder for corporate profits, which won’t be reported until next month at the earliest), and private residential fixed investment, a proxy for housing. They were of particular interest this time because, while the normalized yield […]

There is quite a lot occurring with our fearless leader in charge who believes he can make decisions regardless of the results of his decision with regard to the Constitution. Congress can impose Tariffs. The president can not. “The Context You Need to Understand the Supreme Court’s Tariffs Decision,” Civil Discourse, Joyce Vance Thanks for […]

Erica York (VP Tax Foundation) discusses Trump’s imposing tariff, there being struct down and his reimposing other tariffs using Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The president then has the authority to impose temporary restrictions such as tariffs or quotas on goods from other countries based on specific conditions. The temporary surcharge cannot exceed […]

Brief update on the impact of Trump’s efforts to bring Cubans and Cuba to its knees. A small nation which has not had much of an impact on the United States. At best Cuba is an annoyance to the U.S. Its ability to directly threaten U.S. security interests is limited. The United States can afford […]

Like most boomers, I’m retired. My retirement is funded by (a) a 403b defined contribution plan, (b) Social Security and (c) personal savings. I waited until age 70 for SS benefits, to max those out. Not everyone is so fortunate. “How’s this for a somber retirement forecast: The typical American worker has less than $1,000 […]

Many of these companies in Thailand have contracts with US automotive manufacturers. Their contract more likely than not are set on a fixed tariff with little room for expansion. They will be turning to the big three and also the Tier1s both of whom buy componentry, wire harnesses etc. under contracts. I can see both […]

Briefly; Data pulled from HealthAffairs. I was curious as to how much healthcare costs have grown in the United States. As the detail from the article shows we have been experiencing costs increasing at 7+ percent the last two years. This is up from 4 and 5% in preceding years. I have not checked it, […]

 – 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 give us an idea of what is likely to happen with regard to jobs in […]

– by New Deal democrat There is more and more accumulating evidence that manufacturing, at least in the aggregate, is something close to Booming. That message was apparent in yesterday’s durable goods orders report for December. While the headline number (blue in the graph below) declined -1.4%, the three month average for this very volatile […]

“The justices, divided 6-3 held that Trump’s aggressive approach to tariffs on products entering the United States from across the world was not permitted under a 1977 law called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).” *snip* “The decision does not affect all of Trump’s tariffs, leaving in place ones he imposed on steel and […]