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

Jobless claims revert to neutral

 – by New Deal democrat In the last few weeks, there has been speculation that jobless claims may have been affected by the jihad against immigrants, the theory being enough were being deported or else were simply afraid to report to work that the number of jobless claims was held down. But I suspected it might […]

Metro areas, What is at stake for Black Americans

Looking at Black American employment in 10 major cities and what is at risk under the Trump administration. Unemployment was at record lows in the recent past. Trump’s anti-equity agenda could threaten the progress. Three charts and a short explanation for each explaining what is at stake for Black America. ~~~~~~~ The present administration (Trump) […]

The “soft landing” scenario in the JOLTS report remains intact

 – by New Deal democrat In contrast to much other data in the jobs sector, the JOLTS reports have been very much consistent with a “soft landing scenario,” and that trend continued in this morning’s report for July. As a quick refresher, this survey decomposes the employment market into openings, hires, quits, and layoffs. So to […]

ISM manufacturing confirms rebound in new orders in August, but construction spending continues to decline

 – by New Deal democrat As usual, the new month begins with important manufacturing and construction reports which give us the pulse of the goods-producing economy. The ISM manufacturing report has been a recognized leading indicator for the past 60+ years, although of diminished importance since the turn of the Millennium and China’s accession to […]

Betting against the Trump tariffs

The right of Trump to impose tariffs at will and without Congressional approval is headed to the SCOTUS. What’s the odds that the tariffs will be overturned? Turns out there’s a market in tariff refunds if the SCOTUS rules against Trump: “In July the US government brought in $29.6 billion in tariff revenue compared to […]

Consumer Price Index July 2025

~Two weeks away from another Consumer Price Index release which will be September 11 for August 2025. Some points . . . For July? Inflation was steady in July. This was only because of price declines for staples like groceries and gasoline. The declines helped to offset price increases for consumers. There are signs under the surface, […]

New Deal democrats Weekly Indicators August 25 – 29

Weekly Indicators for August 25 – 29 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat  My “Weekly Indictors” post is up at Seeking Alpha. The most significant benefit of these high frequency indicators is to alert you of possible changes in trend that are unexpected. In the case of the past several weeks, that would be the […]

July real income and spending rebound, keeping the expansionary trends intact

 – by New Deal democrat Last month I concluded: “This was a very weak report, although not negative. If there were not distortions from the front-running of tariffs earlier this year, it would come very close to meriting a ‘recession watch.’  But by next month, the payback from this previous front-running should have largely abated. If […]

“what each individual will bear”

First-degree price discrimination is now . . . or “it’s not what the market will bear but what each individual will bear.” The one-handed economist Economists dislike monopolies because they reduce “surplus” — relative to a market with perfect competition — by restricting quantity supplied to increase prices. The figure below compares consumer surplus (CS) to producer(s) surplus (PS) […]