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

One European Country Adapting to U.S. Tariffs

Without a doubt, Pres. Tr__p has set up the United States for some type of retaliation in the future. Yes, Europe will adjust in some manner. Perhaps, Switzerland will move the final part of manufacturing to another country which is favored by the US. There are probably ways around this which need to be explored. […]

Buyers Regret?

There have been a number of stories about the ways Trump has hurt the people who supported him in November 2024 and his declining approval among two groups who moved toward him in the last election –Hispanics and young men. He does not seem to have suffered much erosion in rural populations generally despite his […]

Alas, Cybertruck, we hardly knew ye

A Cybertruck passed us this morning on the way back from the south shore of Rhode Island. My wife remarked that it looked like a rolling dumpster. I’ve certainly never understood the appeal. Apparently, my aesthetic is shared. “Once one of the world’s most-hyped vehicles, sales and production numbers for Tesla’s Cybertruck have fallen sharply. […]

The muddied historical picture of PPI vs. CPI

 – by New Deal democrat Forecasting has always been hard, and moreso since the supply chain issues of 2021-22 made reading the interest rate signals from the long leading indicators muddled. But at least the short leading indicators were intact. But now we have the additional wrench in the works in the form of a mafia-style […]

Market Share of Economics

“refining and focusing on what works and what doesn’t.” Sharing a commentary as taken from The one-handed economist. The market share of economics Some economists have called our discipline the “queen of the social sciences.” Although all the social sciences offer insights on human behavior, it seems that economics gets the most public attention and “market […]

New DEal democrats Weekly Indicators for August 11-15

Weekly Indicators for August 11 – 15 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up at Seeking Alpha. This week I quantified the difference between commodity prices in the US$ vs. a basket of all other currencies. Perhaps unsurprisingly,  the upward pressure on commodity prices appears to be all, or almost […]

July retail sales: consumers party on, for now

 – by New Deal democrat As per usual, retail sales are one of my favorite economic indicators, because in the past they have told us a lot about both where the economy is at present, and because consumption leads employment, so much about where the economy is likely to be in the near term future. […]

Physician, heal thyself

32 economists associated with the University of Chicago at some point in their careers were awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics. With all that expertise, you’d assume that the University of Chicago would be a paragon of […]

Global Plastic Pollution

This report is coming out of Thailand as reported by the “Bangkok Post.” I like to read other news sites as they offer a different perception or perspective on what is occurring. It is obvious; plastic waste disposal is problematic. Plastic does not deteriorate readily. Many countries see it as problematic while some countries see […]