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

Best use of the rebate check is…

How to use Your IRS Rebate check…As you may have heard, each of us will be getting a tax rebate check to stimulate the economy.If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China . If we spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs. If we purchase a computer it will […]

Moody’s cuts Fannies rating

k harris comment lifted directly from comments cactus style: Moody’s has cut Fannies financial strength rating to B from B+, but affirmed its debt rating at Aaa. Rationale? Fannie is at considerable risk of needing help in avoiding default, but the help is going to come, just going to, so that the risk of actual […]

"Reliable and cost effective industrial capabilities sufficient to meet strategic objectives".

Ilsm writes: One of the repeated objectives of the highest managers of the military industrial complex is: “Reliable and cost effective industrial capabilities sufficient to meet strategic objectives”. Former DoD management objectives had the “health” of the defense industry as a goal. Political appointees, summer help that they are, refer to the military industrial complex […]

Auto Loan and credit card debt bonds?

Market Watch reports important news on needing more liquidity. Probably worth several posts. Hat tip to stormy. The Federal Reserve, along with other central banks, said Friday that it was increasing the funding it is providing to banks and announced that, for the first time, it was willing to accept bonds backed by auto loans […]

Inventories and GDP growth

A lot of ink is being spilled over the inventory numbers in the gdp report. So I though I would just post on one of the available monthly data series on inventories.This shows that the real I/S ratio fell sharply in March. But the gdp report includes nodata on March inventories. This implies that the […]

Sammy looks at oil company figures from a different angle

Title: Would Oil Suppliers keep a “gas tax holiday” as profit? Let’s look at some real numbers. The following table is excepted from Exxon-Mobil (as a proxy for Oil Supplier) financial statements 2003-2007. 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Revenue $246.7B $291.3 $370.7 $377.6 $404.6 Excise Taxes $(61.5) $(68.2) $(72.3) $(69.6) $(72.7) Operating Profit $32.0 $41.2 […]

Ken Houghton, Bruce Webb, Tom Bozzo, Afferent Input join Angry Bear

In the next few weeks four excellent and dynamic writers will begin posting at Angry Bear on a soon to be determined but regular basis. Many already know the quality of thought and expertise each offers, so it is with great pleasure that we welcome them into the fold of Angry Bear contributors. Bruce Webb […]

Kudlow Looks at Energy

Kudlow Looks at Energy So I’m playing with some data from the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration this morning. Their Table 1.1 gives you an energy overview – showing energy production, imports, and exports. I halt for breakfast, at which point I read this piece by Kudlow and almost choke: Democrats are now calling […]

Gas tax fury overrides Pentagon accounting disaster

The rather symbolic arguments and passion demonstrated about the gas tax holiday illustrate the odd and quixotic nature of what catches our imagination. The $30 I save over the summer has more relevance to my life than the lost $$$$$ (hundreds?) out of my pocket each year, and the notion of security dribbles away as […]

You, Me and China make Three, part II

Back on April 20th I presented my introduction to a book by Will Hutton: The Writing on the Wall. First, the book is 334 pages. The list of references 39 pages. There is a lot I could cover. But this is the Angry Bear which I view as being about US(of A). It is this […]