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

Despite 6+ month low in initial claims, yellow caution flag remains

Despite 6+ month low in initial claims, yellow caution flag remains  – by New Deal democrat Last week the initial claims numbers justified restarting the yellow caution flag. This week initial jobless claims declined -13,000 to a 6+ month low of 216,000. The 4-week moving average declined -8,500 to 229,250. With a one-week lag, continuing claims […]

Utah officials sued over failure to save Great Salt Lake

In Arizona, much of its water is drawn from the Colorado River. As everyone knows, The Lake Colorado Eiver Reservoirs dropped ~150 feet since 1983. It gained water due to the recent hurricane and also a large snowfall this last year. It still has not returned to prior levels. Meanwhile, the state of Arizona continues […]

Scenes from the August employment report – and a warning

Scenes from the August employment report – and a warning  – by New Deal democrat The weekly lull after last Friday’s employment report will end tomorrow. In the meantime, let’s take a deeper dive into a few important trends in that report. First, the unemployment rate rose 0.3% to 3.8% – which is totally not surprising […]

Ford UAW Contract Offer Includes Pay Increases, Tiers Eliminated

I am watching the evolution of the American automotive industry from combustion engine driven vehicles to electric driven vehicles. It is interesting to hear about all the potential blood to be spilled as management eventually whacks labor and plants to make the move from combustion to electric vehicles. It is inevitable as a new workforce […]

Vehicle sales, residential, and manufacturing plant construction

Vehicle sales and residential and manufacturing plant construction continue to outweigh general manufacturing downturn  –  by New Deal democrat No important economic news today, but on Friday in addition to the employment report we did get our typical 1st of the month snapshot of manufacturing, vehicle sales, and construction, so let’s look at each. The ISM […]

What makes ultra-processed foods so bad for your health?

Not too much has changed in the process food industry. Baloney, salami, hot dogs, sweet rolls, etc. are still the same. Process foods consists of any “raw agricultural commodities that have been washed, cleaned, milled, cut, chopped, heated, pasteurized, blanched, cooked, canned, frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed or packaged or anything done to them altering their […]

Giving Farmworkers a Significant Raise in 2020

How much would it cost consumers to give farmworkers a significant raise? A 40% increase in pay would cost just $25 per household, Economic Policy Institute, Daniel Costa and Philip Martin, October 15, 2020 A 40% increase in pay would cost just $25 per household . . . This was up in 2020 at posted […]

John Deere partners with a Battery-electrified Product Manufacturer

This is interesting. John Deere a manufacturer of gasoline driven equipment is partnering with an international company owned by Chevron and is based in Nanjing China. EGO is led by CEO Long Quan Pan (title: Chairman/CEO/Executive Director/Co-Founder, Chervon Holdings Ltd.). My initial thought was, why doesn’t John Deere buy EGO out right making it a division […]

How Big is a Burger King Whopper?

Burger King Whopper is 4 ounces. A Wendy;s single is 4 ounces. The real question is, can you misrepresent a product in advertising? Everyone may know the product is not what it is claimed to be. It is a sales gimmick meant to entice you. However, does this relieve the seller of responsibility for misrepresentation? […]

New Deal democrats Weekly Indicators for August 28 – September 1

Weekly Indicators for August 28 – September 1 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat My Weekly Indicators post is up at Seeking Alpha. The long leading indicators continue to forecast that a hard landing is out there, while the short leading indicators – aided by a sharp increase in consumer spending in the past few […]