Despite the point that the first data reported in the monthly personal income report is nominal personal income, it does not get much attention in the press and by bloggers. Weare starting to see a rebound in nominal personal income growth even though it is still quite low by historic norms. The current smoothed growth […]
by Dan Crawford There has been a little ruckus from the WSJ reporting on McDonald’s health insurance plans and applications for waivers from the 80% medical loss ratio requirement. Try to use that for a headline. The medical loss ratio at 80% was one measure for evaluating whether enough % dollars of premium was actually […]
by Bruce Webb In the past I have travelled or lived in most parts of the U.S. and in visiting the local tavern, bar or lounge am offered some choices in types and serving sizes of beer. Most places by answering ‘bottle’ to the question ‘bottle or draft’ you are locked into a measured 12″ […]
NSCID pictures: These images, derived from passive microwave satellite data, depict the most recent daily sea ice conditions. Along with current and median total extent, the daily extent graph also includes the extent during 2007, the year of the record low minimum extent (dashed green line). Note that during the transition across the calendar year, […]
Guest post/note makes it to Foreign Policy magazine as a fully written article Don’t bring a praseodymium knife to a gunfight on rare earth metals by Tim Worstall. Now Tim and I don’t agree on some economics, but Foreign Policy notices Angry Bear at least once? He owes me two beers when I am in […]
I-15 CORE project as reported by ksl.com notes lots of jobs and local spending. By Becky Bruce UTAH COUNTY — The recession may not feel like it’s really over yet, but the Utah Department of Transportation’s I-15 CORE project is helping to the tune of more than a thousand jobs. The I-15 CORE project has […]
by Tom aka Rusty Rustbelt Health Care: Comparative Effectiveness Research, Gender and Emotion A key cost bending feature of PPACA (Obamacare) is comparative effectiveness research (see http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/cer/index.html). This research is designed to apply statistical, economic and clinical analysis to care and treatment to encourage effective care and block ineffective treatments. It is highly likely, based […]
by Dan Crawford Key players in the development of this story are judges in each state as they interpret state law defining proper ownership. Inquiry to two people who know courts predicted most judges would probably simply ignore technical discrepancies, but as the story develops these issues are gaining traction. Bypassing property laws is a […]
by Stormy and Dan Drug wars in Juarez…and the cause—NAFTA, really. Mexico drug cartel in the Guardian: Mexico’s main crossing point to the US has always had a seedy border vibe, but two decades ago it was envisaged as a showcase for a new economy built on free trade, manufacturing and cheap labour. Factories drew […]
Financial Times/alphaville’s Cardiff Garcia uses Rebecca Wilder’s post Evaluating the “excess” in the US corporate financial balance. What to make of the excess savings (aka boatloads of cash) that remain on US corporate balance sheets? In trying to answer this question, economist Rebecca Wilder has used data from the Fed’s latest flow of funds report […]