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

How $4/gallon gas could take the economy from a nearly complete stall into outright recession

– by New Deal democrat So, first some bad news: my tech issue has resurfaced, so only links to graphs rather than graphs themselves, hopefully just for a day or two. Basically, unless I keep a bar up open to the blog page, Google and Apple sever their “handshake,” and I have to start from […]

A Measure of Tax Decreases for the Upper 10% of Households

I pulled this bullet point information from Josh Bivens piece on the Economic Policy Institute: “The Trump administration’s macroeconomic agenda harms affordability and raises inequality,” Economic Policy Institute. Graph showing the difference in return over 40 years versus Trump’s tax break for the wealthy in one year. It is the same return. It is interesting […]

Oil and Politics

With Trump’s attacks on the Middle East (Iran, we can expect higher prices for oil and more than likely lower inventory. Trump has signaled that the war in Iran could last four to five weeks—or go “far longer.” If tensions in the region continue, it could cause major disruptions to global energy markets and trigger widespread inflation. As […]

Brief Oil News Today

Some of the latest oil news from Oil Price, March 6, 2027 March 6. 2026: Brent tops $90 as the Strait of Hormuz closure halts Gulf oil flows and Iraq and Kuwait begin cutting output, fueling fears of a sharper price surge. “Oil Prices Hit $90 as Middle East Tensions Escalate,” Julianne Geiger, OIl Price, […]

“manufacturing, construction, trucking, and temporary help employment all declined, as did the goods-producing sector as a whole”

February jobs report: Main Street lays an egg  – by New Deal democrat I described last month as “the month the birds came home to roost. . . . In particular, the *entire* gains over the past year were reduced from 584,000 to 181,000 – an average of only 15,000 jobs gained per month.” Well, this […]

“New regime” of lower jobless claims continues – a good sign (but for geopolitical idiocy)

– by New Deal democrat Let’s take our weekly look at jobless claims. As a reminder, I pay attention to these because they are a good short leading barometer of the economy in general, and the jobs market in particular. And the news this week continued to reflect the “new regime” of lower YoY claims […]

Gasoline prices Inching Upwards Before Shortages Occurring?

Increasing the takings by influencing the public and policy or economic conditions. The money from a takings a business or speculator gets from selling goods or services during a particular period. Is there really a shortage so soon? Oil and gasoline industry are a bunch of pirates, Taken from “Gas prices climb in U.S., Southwest […]