Stormy earlier discussed the Frankel thesis that low rates leads to higher commodity prices.I can see the argument, but I do not buy it. Rather I have alway looked at it the other way and viewed commodity prices as a leading indicator of interest rates. Rising commodity prices are a sign of strong worldwide economic […]
Angry Bear posters and readers have commented on the striking shrinking of regulation in housing (HUD), finance (OCC, SEC) , taxes (IRS enforcement), and Safety (FDA). In conjunction are proposals to make huge vaguely defined powers available to use the military for domestic purposes that includes “other conditions” as a cause for use, and the […]
I have been reading the book: The Writing on the Wall. Mr. Will Hutton is the author. The book is billed as a look at what makes China tick and what the west should do about it. I chose it on the strength of the reviews as I wanted to learn more about China in […]
More interesting information on income inequality CBO released a new issue brief on increasing disparities in life expectancy. Here I provide a brief summary of the brief (yes, I recognize the irony in that phrasing): * Life expectancy has been steadily increasing in the United States for the past several decades. Recent gains in life […]
In a low to moderate inflation world there is a very strong tendency for firms to raise prices once a year. As a consequence over half of the annual increase in the not seasonally adjusted core CPI occurs in the first quarter. It averages 54% in the 1st Q, 9% in the 2nd Q, 25% […]
Maybe if people actually read what rural and/or small town republicans were actually saying to each other the debate about voting against your own interest or being bitter would take a different slant. I have several e-mail expressing what small town southern republicans say to each other that I have decided to post just to […]
(The person on the left) Spain’s new defense minister has been a hot topic in Spain for awhile. I do not pretend to know the particular issues. However, two issues emerged as central from the write up: 1. Lack of military experience. (I assume either directly or as a part of the defense ministry prior […]
Cactus’s thoughts on taxes got me to thinking about trade, and the purpose of trade. Behavioral economists tried this experiment with people in face to face trade situations. Of course it is not definitive of anything, but it does point up a huge flaw in the economics of today. …that “Economic Man” is rational, self-maximizing […]
People have inquired about losing track of comments from older posts on Angry Bear, or lose track of the occasional comment but want to keep track of responses. Cocomments service allows you to track comments from old posts and tell you about new responses. For some who visit multiple blogs and leave comments, you might […]
This editorial reminds us of the great increase in federal power regarding coercive force (also aid with guns). Section 1076 of the Defense Authorization Act of 2006 changed the name of the key provision in the statute book from “Insurrection Act” to “Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act.” The Insurrection Act of […]