My paternal grandfather grew up in Argentina. When I knew him in the 1960s and 70s, he was a bank VP in New York City. He would occasionally recite something in Spanish. The only thing I can recall is “Cinco pesos poca plata.” It’s even truer now than when he said it. “Finalizing a $20 […]
Healthcare Pricing can depend upon who you go to for care. Independent doctors earn less than Hospital doctors. Not surprised there. Name brand hospitals charge more than lesser-known hospitals. I suspect some of this may be due to overhead. Introduction Piece: Hospital- and Private Equity–Affiliated Specialty Physicians Negotiate Higher Prices than Independent Physicians, Health Affairs […]
– by New Deal democrat The government shutdown is continuing. The only significant national economic news will be the NAR’s existing home sales report on Thursday. Additionally, the remaining regional Fed surveys will come at the end of this week or next week. And, as I am still on vacation, don’t be surprised if I play […]
Playing the tough guy, Tr_mp goes around China to Australia for Rare Earths. China has the largest known estimated reserve of 44 million metric tons. It also holds the leading position in rare earth production, producing 270,000 metric tons in 2024. Both Australia and the United States are second in reserves. The last time I looked […]
Just talking jobs in factories and how they improved after unions took hold in the plants and industries. Most definitely a plus for throughput, productivity, and attitude. It did foster a different atmosphere on the shop floor. Labor felt like they had a place in the business albeit on the shop floor, etc. “Manufacturing Jobs: […]
– by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up at Seeking Alpha. About 90% of the high frequency data comes from non-Federal government sources and so is unaffected by the shutdown. It continues to signal no particular stress. But there is no denying that the loss of the monthly official data series (for things like […]
Mostly about CEO wages with a comparison to hourly wage labor. No doubt, hourly wage workers have not kept pace with CEO wages or inflation. For all intents and purposes, Direct Labor wages are a small part of the cost of manufacturing when compared to materials and overhead. Labor input is what adds value to […]
I do not believe this requires much of an introduction or explanation. This event has been discussed and warned about for decades. Mankind does not appear to want to pay attention to the warming of the Earth. We can stopped the severity of what we are doing and take a lesser path. Or we can […]
Cryptocurrencies are a manifestation of The Greater Fool Theory of investing. A justification for cryptocurrencies is that they are unmoored from any government-regulated currency. Their primary utility, it turns out, is funding criminal activities. Stablecoins are a form of cryptocurrency linked to a government currency (the dollar, the rouble, etc). Of course, tethering the value […]
“Immigration, Population, Replacement, Politics and the Economy,” Angry Bear. Immigration, Population Replacement, Politics, and the Economy are what comes together to ensure national growth. In 2006 the rate of population growth was 1 percent. Since then and in 2021, it has decreased to 4 tenths of 1%. With the present administration removing legal and illegal immigrants, […]