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

Coronavirus dashboard for June 27: infections -> hospitalizations -> deaths

Coronavirus dashboard for June 27: infections -> hospitalizations -> deaths Total US infections: 2,480,786,  44,373 new cases Total US deaths: 125,120,  619 new deathsA quandary over the past month has been why deaths declined so much more than new cases, while cases were declining; and more recently why deaths have continued to decline in the […]

Pandemic boundaries

Via the Boston Globe  comes the consideration of boundary problems this pandemic poses between US states. Worth a discussion. Also, on the world stage, the EU and other countries consider relaxing travel restrictions from ‘safe’ countries, the US not among them. Visitor quarantines may seem like a smart intervention to keep the virus from crossing […]

All 4 coincident indicators of recession improved in May vs. April

All 4 coincident indicators of recession improved in May vs. April With this morning’s release of personal income and spending, we now have all 4 coincident indicators for May that the NBER uses to determine whether the economy is in a recession or recovery/expansion. And all 4 improved from their “most horrible” readings in April. […]

Weekly Indicators for June 22 – 26 at Seeking Alpha

by New Deal democrat Weekly Indicators for June 22 – 26 at Seeking Alpha My Weekly Indicators post is up at Seeking Alpha. The coincident indicators, as well as the short leading indicators, have continued to improve gradually each week. But this week may be the near term peak, as the reality of renewed exponential spread […]

Initial jobless claims improve slightly; continuing claims resume decline

Initial jobless claims improve slightly; continuing claims resume decline Weekly initial and continuing jobless claims give us the most up-to-date snapshot of the continuing economic impacts of the coronavirus on employment. More than three full months after the initial shock, the overall damage remains huge, with large spreading new secondary impacts. The positive news is […]

Housing rebounded sharply in May

by New Deal democrat Housing rebounded sharply in May One aspect of the economy that is important in terms of how well things will go once the pandemic ultimately recedes (which won’t occur until after next January 20) remains housing. And low-interest rates brought housing back from the depths in May. My look at the […]

Global oil output surplus was at 8.6 million barrels per day in May, despite OPEC cut of 6.3 million bpd

Via Economic Populist, rjs writes: Global oil output surplus was at 8.6 million barrels per day in May, despite OPEC cut of 6.3 million bpd Submitted by rjs on June 22, 2020 – 3:16pm Wednesday of this past week saw the release of OPEC’s June Oil Market Report, which covers OPEC & global oil data for May, and hence […]

Coronavirus dashboard for June 23: focusing on deaths, and the Trumpist South and Southwest

Coronavirus dashboard for June 23: focusing on deaths, and the Trumpist South and Southwest Confirmed total US infections: 2,312,302. (+31,433 in past 24 hours) Confirmed total US deaths: 120,402 (+425 in past 24 hours) We know that new cases are accelerating again. Is it translating into an increase in deaths? The answer appears to be: […]

What Will History Say

———————————————————————–||———————–         The Past                                                                  Now             The Future What Will History Say by Ken Melvin When the new US History books come out in 2040, […]