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

Trump surrenders in the war on cancer

When my mom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, she was given a chemotherapy that had proven so effective at the time that they couldn’t predict how much longer it would extend her life since not enough people had died yet. Progress in the war on cancer in the last 20 years has been amazing. Innovations […]

July retail sales: consumers party on, for now

 – by New Deal democrat As per usual, retail sales are one of my favorite economic indicators, because in the past they have told us a lot about both where the economy is at present, and because consumption leads employment, so much about where the economy is likely to be in the near term future. […]

Physician, heal thyself

32 economists associated with the University of Chicago at some point in their careers were awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics. With all that expertise, you’d assume that the University of Chicago would be a paragon of […]

Global Plastic Pollution

This report is coming out of Thailand as reported by the “Bangkok Post.” I like to read other news sites as they offer a different perception or perspective on what is occurring. It is obvious; plastic waste disposal is problematic. Plastic does not deteriorate readily. Many countries see it as problematic while some countries see […]

July industrial production: meh!

 – by New Deal democrat Industrial production is much less central to the US economic picture than it was before the “China shock,” since so much production moved overseas, meaning US consumers buy much more imported goods than they used to. Still it is an important if diminished coincident indicator. This morning’s report for July can […]

Slowing Job Growth To Date?

This piece by Claudia Sahm is about two weeks old. The perspective is still worth reading. The economy is still be pulled one way or another as Tr__p plays he tariff games up and down and who makes deals and who does not. That is enough to create uncertainty in the market. “There are factors […]

Producer prices for July (apparently) show the first significant negative effects of Tariff-palooza!

– by New Deal democrat Normally I don’t pay too much attention to producer prices, but occasionally they are very important – and today is one of those days.  Here’s why. In the past, as shown in this graph going back over 50 years: when producer prices outstrip consumer prices, that means producers aren’t able to […]

You know they’re feeble

Exhibit A. The emperor grovels for the Nobel Prize (per The Guardian): “Donald Trump cold-called Norway’s finance minister last month to ask about a nomination for the Nobel peace prize, Norwegian press reported on Thursday.” Exhibit B. Bondi levies felony charges for a guy who threw a sandwich at a federal agent. So the law-and-order […]