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

September Trade Deficit Rises 11.2% to a Record High

September Trade Deficit Rises 11.2% to a Record High on Lower Exports of Precious Metals, Oil & Oil Products and Capital Goods, MarketWatch 666, Commenter and Blogger RJS Our trade deficit rose by 11.2% in September as the value of our exports decreased and value of our imports increased…the Commerce Dept report on our international trade […]

September Income and Outlays, Durable Goods and New Home Sales

Commenter and Blogger, RJS MarketWatch 666 3rd quarter GDP, September’s income and outlays, durable goods, & new home sales The key economic reports that were released this week were the 1st estimate of 3rd quarter GDP and the September report on Personal Income and Spending, both from the Bureau of Economic Analysis ….the week also saw the release […]

September Durable Goods: New Orders Down 0.4%, Shipments Up 0.4%, Inventories Up 0.9%

Commenter and Blogger RJS at Marketwatch 666; “September Durable Goods: New Orders Down 0.4%, Shipments Up 0.4%, Inventories Up 0.9%“ September Advanced Report Durable Goods Manufacturer Shipments, Inventories, and Orders, US Census The Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders for September (pdf) from the Census Bureau reported that the value of the […]

Gasoline at 47 month low & Distillate at 18 month low

Commenter and Blogger RJS, Focus on Fracking, The Latest US Oil Supply and Disposition Data from the EIA US oil data from the US Energy Information Administration for the week ending October 22nd indicated that after a modest increase in our oil imports and a modest decrease in our oil exports, we had surplus oil to add to our stored commercial […]

September 2021 Income and Outlays Report

September Personal Income Fell 1.0%, Spending Rose 0.6%, PCE Price Index Up 0.3%; Savings Rate Lowest Since December 2019, Commenter and Blogger RJS, MarketWatch 666 Friday’s release of the September Income and Outlays report was concurrent with the GDP release on Thursday, and all the PCE data in the 3rd quarter GDP report we just covered actually […]

3rd Quarter GDP Grew at 2.0% as Real Final Sales of GDP Ticked Lower

Commenter and Blogger RJS, Marketwatch 666, 3rd Quarter GDP Grew at 2.0% Rate even as Real Final Sales of GDP Ticked Lower Our economy grew at a 2.0% rate in the 3rd quarter, quite a bit slower than the growth rate of the second quarter, as increasing consumer outlays for services, greater nonresidential fixed investment, […]

Oil prices – 7 year high, the longest string of weekly gains on record

Oil prices at 7 year high after longest string of weekly gains on record, Focus on Fracking, Commenter and Blogger RJS Oil prices rose for a record 9th consecutive week to a fresh 7 year high following across the board withdrawals from US oil & product inventories . . . after rising 3.7% to a […]

Globally; oil short at 2,400,000 barrels/day; OPEC output is 375,000 barrels/day short of quota

Focus on Fracking: US oil price at a 7 year high; largest US oil inventory build in 7 months; global oil shortage at 2,400,000 barrels per day as OPEC output is ​375,000 barrels per day short of​ quota​. Commenter and Blogger RJS OPEC’s October Oil Market Report Wednesday of this week saw the release of OPEC’s […]

Retail Sales up .7%, July and August revised higher

Commenter and Blogger RJS at Market Watch 666 Retail Sales Increased by 0.7% in September after July and August Sales were Revised Higher Seasonally adjusted retail sales rose 0.7% in September after retail sales for July and August were revised higher . . . the Advance Retail Sales Report for September (pdf) from the Census Bureau estimated […]

Oil Price highest since 2014; natural gas price falls from 12 year high – largest inventory build in 16 months

and gasoline exports at a 26 month low . . . Blogger and Commenter R.J.S., Focus on Fracking: “Oil price is highest since 2014; natural gas price fell from 12 year high after largest inventory increase in 16 months” Oil prices finished higher for the 7th straight week after OPEC decided to only add the […]