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

Supplies of US crude at a 23 month low and gasoline at a 22 month low

“US crude supplies at a 23 month low, gasoline supplies at a 22 month low,” Focus on Fracking, Blogger and Commenter RJS The Latest US Oil Supply and Disposition Data from the EIA US oil data from the US Energy Information Administration for the week ending September 3rd indicated that after major decreases in our oilfield […]

Wholesale Sales Up 2.0%; and Inventories Up 0.6%

July’s Wholesale Sales Were Up 2.0%; Wholesale Inventories Were Up 0.6%, MarketWatch 666, RJS The July report on Wholesale Trade, Sales and Inventories (pdf) from the Census Bureau estimated that the seasonally adjusted value of wholesale sales was at $601.3 billion in July, up 2.0 percent (±0.4 percent) from the revised June level, and up 23.7 percent […]

August Producer Price Index Sets New YoY Record Increases

August Producer Price Index Sets New YoY Record Increases for Final Demand Goods, Final Demand Services, and a 46 year High for Prices of Intermediate Goods; MarketWatch 666, Commenter RJS The seasonally adjusted Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand rose 0.7% in August, as prices for finished wholesale goods rose 1.0% while margins of final services […]

Record High July Job Openings, June  Record Revised Higher

MarketWatch 666’s RJS: 5th record in a row; job openings have risen 62% so far this year . . . Here is the Fred graph. Despite record highs, hiring is down and layoffs are up . . . Something is clearly broken. July Job Openings at Record High after June Record Revised Higher; Hiring Down, Job Quitting  and  Layoffs  […]

Six hundred Louisiana Toxic Chemical Sites

I found this part of RJS’s report to be particularly interesting about the potential environmental risks in Louisiana resulting from a buildup of waste within the state. This has been accumulated over the years. There does not appear to be an effort to eliminate the waste and chemicals. ____________ Focus on Fracking: natural gas price […]

nat. gas prices at 33 MO high; crude supply at 23 MO low; Ida shuts down Gulf

Focus on Fracking: natural gas price at a 33 month high; US crude supplies at a 23 month low; Ida shuts down Gulf Blogger RJS, MarketWatch 666 Oil Prices Oil prices ended slightly higher this week as oil traders apparently judged that Hurricane Ida’s damage to oil production was greater than the storm’s damage to […]

Trade Deficit Fell 4.3% in July and 2nd Quarter Deficits Were Revised

Trade Deficit Fell 4.3% in July After 2nd Quarter Deficits Were Revised Lower, MarketWatch 666 blogger RJS Our trade deficit fell 4.3% in July as the value of our exports increased while the value of our imports decreased slightly….the Commerce Dept report on our international trade in goods and services for July indicated that our seasonally adjusted […]

Construction Spending increases 0.3% in July

Construction Spending Rose 0.8% in July after 2nd Quarter Spending was Revised Higher, RJS, MarketWatch 666 The Census Bureau report on construction spending for July (pdf) estimated that the month’s seasonally adjusted construction spending would work out to $1,568.8 billion annually if extrapolated over an entire year, which was 0.3 percent (±1.2 percent)* above the revised annualized […]

For July – Industrial Production Rises 0.9%

Commenter and Blogger RJS, MarketWatch 666, Industrial Production Rose 0.9% in July After Prior Four Months Were Revised Higher The Fed’s G17 release on Industrial production and Capacity Utilization for July indicated that industrial production rose by 0.9% in July after rising by a revised 0.2% in June and a revised 0.8% in May, and is now up 6.6% […]

July Durable Goods: New Orders Down 0.1%, Shipments Up 2.2%, Inventories Up 0.6%

July Durable Goods: New Orders Down 0.1%, Shipments Up 2.2%, Inventories Up 0.6%, Commenter and also Blogger at MarketWatch 666 The Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders for July (pdf) from the Census Bureau reported the value of the widely watched new orders for manufactured durable goods fell by $0.4 billion or […]