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

“Sell-off prompted mainly by T—-p’s personal economic predilection for tariffs”

The constant threats of tariff this and tariff that has its consequences and creates an instability to which the market reacts. Threatening our next-door neighbors with variable tariff rates does not bode well for Wall Street. Forty percent to seven percent, hmmmm . . . No recession yet. NDd has his report below. The Quick […]

‘Schumer Must Resign’ as Senate Dem Leader?

Democrats agreed to invoke cloture on the continuing resolution (CR) in exchange for considering four amendments to it. Republican senators then swiftly rejected the amendments. I am not sure why Dems seem to always get sucked into deals and lose. After Republicans agreeing to review Dem amendments to the bill, eight Democrats voted with Republicans to pass […]

State of emergency

Apparently, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) warned her colleagues to pass the CR or else: “He will declare a state of emergency,” the senator told her colleagues, seemingly referring to a potential action President Trump might take if Congress does not pass a spending bill before the government runs out of funding midnight Friday.” LOL! “potential”? […]

Producer Prices may show first inflationary effects of tariff wars

 – by New Deal democrat I typically do not pay much attention to producer prices. Sometimes they do lead consumer prices, but since the turn of the Millennium more often they have been coincident. But with the onset of tariff wars, they may set off some of the first alarm bells. And that may have been […]

Very Good Report on February CPI

February CPI: a very good report, with even the chronic “problem children” getting “less bad”  – by New Deal democrat Let me cut right to the chase: the February consumer inflation report was actually very good. It wasn’t just that the headline and core numbers only went up 0.2% for the month, or that the […]

JOLTS revisions from Yesterday’s Report

Angry Bears’ New Deal democrat discusses JOLTS frequently. I am not sure if everyone knows what it means. I believe it calls for a short explanation. The acronym JOLTS is an abbreviation for “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) produces JOLTS reports monthly and also annual estimates of job […]

The North American Automobile Industry Waits for Trump and the Gov. to Act

China, China, China. China is not the only offshore manufacturer of automotive wire harnesses, plastic parts, stampings, etc. There is also Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, etc. I know because I was tasked with visiting our plants as a supplier of US materials and parts. Yes, China is in the mix and I would fly into Beijing […]

Families Struggle Paying for Child Care While Working

Finding a reputable child care facility or person to watch your child or children has become more difficult and costly. The EPI articles compares the cost to other items as well as costs in each state. For low wage workers the costs have become unsustainable. Policymakers have been pushing for addition sources for preschool care. […]

Time for Senate Dems to stand up against Trump/Musk

”Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”~Napoleon Bonaparte What should Senate Democrats do about the GOP continuing resolution? Filibuster and send it back to the house, which will certainly mean a shut-down? Or let it pass on the grounds that Democrats can’t be blamed for the consequences? James Carville’s argument is that […]