~Two weeks away from another Consumer Price Index release which will be September 11 for August 2025. Some points . . . For July? Inflation was steady in July. This was only because of price declines for staples like groceries and gasoline. The declines helped to offset price increases for consumers. There are signs under the surface, […]
Weekly Indicators for August 25 – 29 at Seeking Alpha – by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indictors” post is up at Seeking Alpha. The most significant benefit of these high frequency indicators is to alert you of possible changes in trend that are unexpected. In the case of the past several weeks, that would be the […]
– by New Deal democrat Last month I concluded: “This was a very weak report, although not negative. If there were not distortions from the front-running of tariffs earlier this year, it would come very close to meriting a ‘recession watch.’ But by next month, the payback from this previous front-running should have largely abated. If […]
First-degree price discrimination is now . . . or “it’s not what the market will bear but what each individual will bear.” The one-handed economist Economists dislike monopolies because they reduce “surplus” — relative to a market with perfect competition — by restricting quantity supplied to increase prices. The figure below compares consumer surplus (CS) to producer(s) surplus (PS) […]
“The 2026 COLA is likely to be 2.7%, according to a recent projection by The Senior Citizens League. That’s a notch above this year’s COLA of 2.5%, which bumped up the average monthly benefit by roughly $50 for retired workers, and applies to more than 70 million retired senior citizens and disabled workers.” But does […]
My words of advice to anyone, do not inject yourself into anything involving the police if you can avoid it. You will go to jail. You will go to court. You will spend money. You will be stressed out even if you win. If you can without being noticed, copy conversations to report or back […]
1. A recent study showed that even people with mild COVID infections have a loss of blood vessel elasticity comparable to someone five years older. 2. A recent study showed that fragments of Sars-CoV-2 viral proteins—particularly the RNA replicase protein—can be found in circulating vesicles months after a COVID infection and could contribute to the […]
– by New Deal democrat Initial jobless claims have been relatively subdued for the past month. Some have suggested that this is a byproduct of the large immigrant deportations which have recently taken place. Last week I noted that, “comparing the SA and NSA readings in the past several months suggests that [unresolved seasonality] has affected […]
RFK Jr isn’t exactly wrong about how Americans need to improve their diets. But vilifying ultraprocessed foods and food dyes won’t do it. The actual problem is that most Americans get too many of their calories from fat, sugar and red meat, when they should get most of their calories from fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts […]
Just finished Ron Chernow’s biography of Samuel Clemens, “Mark Twain.” I had previously read his biographies of John D. Rockefeller and Alexander Hamilton, so I knew I would like this book. In addition, I attended an interview he gave in Harford during his book tour, and he made me look forward to reading the book […]