– by New Deal democrat Retail sales is the first of two very important indicators we got this morning. Per yesterday, with employment growth “dead in the water” since April, consumer spending – which leads future employment – is the single most crucial element of a turning point.   It really is incredible how it takes a […]

St. Reagan famously said that the most terrifying words in the English language were “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Now that the Roberts SCOTUS has decided that Donald Trump *is* the government, Reagan’s quip takes on a new salience. “For more than half a century publicly-traded US corporations have reported earnings […]

tomorrow we will find out about production and sales  – by New Deal democrat With no news today, let’s take a look at why two releases tomorrow are especially important. Let me begin with employment, which is “dead in the water.”  I’ve written before about how manufacturing and construction employment, and now the entire leading sector […]

Bried Commentary: Mainland China warns the Philippines against any interference with their routine patrols. China’s State Council revealed it intends of establishing a nature reserve spanning 3,500 hectares (8,650 acres). The site is the disputed islet of Scarborough Shoal, a contested territory claimed by both China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. More than […]

– by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up at Seeking Alpha. While job growth has almost completely stalled, and inflation shows signs of picking up, both consumer spending and the stock market continue to plow forward at full speed. It’s an odd situation that may be powered almost exclusively by people at the top […]

A partial of a much larger report. The complete report can be found here. As taken from: Americans for Tax Fairness “Sick Profits.” This portion of the article looks at the differences in profits and where those profits are going. The additional profits (mostly gained from tax breaks) are not going to reductions in healthcare […]

– by New Deal democrat The QCEW for Q1 of this year will be released at 10 AM Eastern time this morning. It should also finalize the numbers for last year. Why is that important? Because it will also set the preliminary benchmark revisions for the monthly jobs numbers last year and into this year. […]

– by New Deal democrat Now that we have the consumer inflation number for August, let’s take a look at real wages and income for ordinary workers. In the jobs report last Friday, we learned that both average hourly earnings and aggregate payrolls for nonsupervisory workers increased 0.4% in August. Yesterday we learned that consumer inflation […]

Building and investment is stifled by the current regulatory regimes. Hence abundance denied. Of course, to gain some of the abundance Sam Walker discusses need investments newer infrastructure to support faster trains. he system is lacking the funding. Sam Walker . . . My following the railroad industry comes from growing up at Hollidaysburg, PA. […]

– by New Deal democrat The Fed is really facing a no-win situation. Between the recent employment reports, the QCEW, and even this morning’s jobless claims report, the jobs market has clearly been weakening, and may be on the very cusp of contraction, implicating the Fed’s dual mandate to strive for full employment. But this morning’s […]