– by New Deal democrat Consumer spending is about 70% of the economy, and retail sales is our first wide measure of that spending. And since consumption leads employment, it is an important real world measure. In May, after two months of being dominated by gas prices, it was even more decisively driven by a likely […]

I have worked on this on and off in an attempt to make it more interesting. I can not. It is dull but a much needed report as it is a serious issue for thousands of people living outside of cities. Rural areas do not have the care many people need. The Feds and states […]

This is a good one. Why is it a good one to me. As you get to the end of this, we start to learn about what is changing in the realm of manufacturing and Labor. I do not believe it has changed as much as you have read. Without Labor Input there is little […]

 – by New Deal democrat When it comes to housing, the post-pandemic economy has been odd. That’s because, as of last year by all accounts housing had deteriorated  sufficiently that a recession should already have begun. Not only did that not (quite) happen, but the current situation would be more congruent with such a recession ending […]

“Strict Medicaid work rules could harm people with serious illnesses, advocates say,” NPR Advocates for people with serious illnesses, like cancer and HIV, say the strict Medicaid work rules that the Trump administration released this week are likely to put ongoing treatments in jeopardy. States must put the work requirements into effect by January 1. […]

Is it becoming more common? It appears that way. It is said ~ 36 million Americans (11% of the U.S. population) live below the official poverty line. The exact poverty threshold does vary by household size. The poverty line is roughly $16,000 for a single person and $32,000 for a family of four. The numbers […]

– by New Deal democrat Late last year I noticed that the regional Fed manufacturing indicators were improving – despite the “Liberation Day” tariffs and the general chaos coming out of Washington. It appeared that manufacturers had found a modus vivendi and had adapted to the new environment. That subsequently showed up in a number of […]

People wonder if the big three will stay in the United States. They will be around for another ten years doing the assembly part and buying components and assemblies (wire harnesses, etc.) from overseas. And yes there is cost to doing it this way. Once on the dock, they own it. Six weeks on the […]

I cut Jared Bernstein’s Commentary “Why Are People So Damn Mad?” short because I wanted to get to the reasoning why people are mad and why they own it too. It used to be the modus operandi working hard will gain you the fruits of getting ahead, going to college will more likely than not […]

 – by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up at Seeking Alpha. “Consumers Back Off – Slightly” There was little change this week, but restaurant reservations – the first expense I would expect stretched consumers to cut back on – did slacken a little bit. And withholding tax payments over the past four weeks barely […]