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

The low pace of firings continues to Christmas

 – by New Deal democrat Our last bit of news before Christmas continued the positive news, as initial jobless claims declined back to 214,000, while the four week average also declined to 216,750. The last three weeks collectively have had the lowest seasonally adjusted numbers since January. Meanwhile, continuing claims rose back above 1.9 million to […]

Wage gains for low-paid workers were larger than for those further up the income scale

The economy turned bad when Covid hit the nation. People were not able to work. And whether it was Biden or Tru_p were in the White House, the same problems would have existed. As Paul Krugman documents, the results for lower wage employees was better and increasing during the Biden administration, This is far different […]

Miracle on 34th St is not an economic solution

I was pulling on a thread today researching the product of cryogenic treated fret wire. I have a Les Paul style guitar I built from a kit while in college in the early 80’s that needs a new fret board. I stumbled upon this bit of history: Scroll down to response #11 CB Alyn “In […]

The future looks golden

Looking at trends in White House décor, it’s easy to conclude the future of gold is bright. But investors see something different in the White House. “Gold futures traded in New York have soared almost 71% this year, on pace for their best annual gain in 46 years. The last time gold had such a […]

Santa and Social Planning

Rebecca Wilder was a writer at Angry Bear and posted originally posted this at Economonitors. With Rebecca’s permission, Dan reposted this at Angry Bear in 2011. “Santa Claus as a Social Planner“ – by Rebecca Wilder Here’s a nice little model I discussed in 2007: The Economics of Christmas! Hope that you enjoy; I do. […]

Judge supports Trump affirmative action for domestic tech workers

As a PhD molecular biologist, I’ve spent my entire career in tech, albeit academic tech. During that time, I’ve had the privilege to work with many colleagues on H-1B visas. I believe in meritocracy, and my experience is that most of these H-1B visa holders were eminently qualified. Were there more qualified Americans out there? […]

Strong Q3 GDP, but long leading components are mixed

Strong Q3 GDP, but long leading components are mixed; first preliminary positive signs for production in October  – by New Deal democrat Because today is a travel day for me, I am going to keep my comments about the much-delayed Q3 GDP report brief. As was obvious, a 4.3% annualized real GDP print is very good, […]

Manufacturing Jobs Lost in 2025

How Many Manufacturing Jobs Has Trump Lost? CEPR In Donald Trump’s imagination, trillions of dollars are being invested in the United States. In the real world, factory construction, adjusted for inflation, was down by more than 10 percent from its year ago level, as of August (the most recent data available). Manufacturing employment, based on the data […]

Ending the Vicious Cycle of Non-Governing

By changing the mindset of governing – by Jeff Dauphin “We the People” know our government is not working. For decades, Americans have said they want leaders who work together, confront problems honestly, and make decisions that push the country forward. Yet the officials we send to Washington keep repeating the same self-defeating patterns—polarization, gridlock, […]