The problem before us couldn’t be clearer. As long as we have a debt-dependent, interest-based economy, we have a built-in addiction to growth, pure and simple. Not because interest mathematically requires perpetual expansion, but because the institutions we’ve built around borrowing, lending, taxation, and investment are rewarded when tomorrow’s economy is bigger than today’s. There … Read More
Blame Engineering isn’t a featured sport in America, yet. But out here in the (peace and quiet of the) woods, the headline evidence piles up that the sport is expanding. The working clip file runs from AP’s presidential buck-passing to CNN’s blame-the-messenger framing, POLITICO’s inheritance argument, and Carl Cannon’s reminder that Biden had his own … Read More
Markets, Media Rut, and the Missing Frame? One of the mysteries of modern investing is why everyone waits breathlessly for the Fed Minutes. By the time they’re released, the meeting is history and the decision has already been made. Useful rearview mirror? Sure. Windshield? Not so much. In today’s Peoplenomics, our overnight BlinkLab scan finds … Read More
As we anticipated in last week’s Peoplenomics ChartPack, the market is now in position to break higher despite headwinds. Some of these include falling presidential polls, diesel being a question mark, and the whole intergenerational “Is there some point, here?” Friction, Folly, and Life In case you didn’t know, Amazon’s Prime Big Deals are on … Read More
Things move slow—and then fast—in modelspace. When we told you several years back that it was time to build on-site food production—even something like a sun porch container garden—you probably laughed your ass off thinking, “My, that old man Ure in the woods of East Texas has really lost it!” Then, when we began using … Read More
If you haven’t figured out what “Mondacious” means, go look at a calendar and get back to us. This week is mostly a nothingburger – which is fine with us. Dow futures are down 51 early, Ess and Pee down less than 6. And honestly, with the week’s load of Treasury buybacks, we’re glad to … Read More
A new leather recliner showed up this week. One picked up about 4-5 years ago just isn’t cutting it, so a new one. Problem is, it came via FedEx and they don’t move things into living rooms. As it turned out, I didn’t see the truck on the security cams, either, so I couldn’t go … Read More
Peoplenomics Saturday: When the Atoms Start to Line Up The charts are calling higher. The bond market is throwing warning flares. Oil, food, weather and war are running on different clocks — and our latest Over-the-Horizon scan says several of those clocks may begin striking together as we move toward 2027. This weekend we connect … Read More
Retirement is looking a lot better organized than it did a week or two back. I’m starting to catch up on things and soon, the long-held projects list will be ripe for attack. In the meantime, “dangerous flooding” didn’t show up in our part of Texas overnight. A measly 0.75-inch in the gauge. Our weather … Read More
Challenger Job Cuts looked really good today: “Job Cuts Fall in September; Hiring Plans Up 3% Over 2025 On Weak Early Seasonal Hiring. “SEPTEMBER LAYOFF PLANS FALL TO 43,281; TYPICAL SURGE IN SEASONAL HIRING PLANS ABSENT, BUT HIRING REMAINS ABOVE 2025 U.S.-based employers announced 43,281 job cuts in September, down 18% from the 52,881 announced … Read More
Forget inflation percentages for a minute. What if we priced things in the one currency none of us can print more of — hours of human life? In 1966, a cheeseburger cost me 19 cents. Today, something comparable might be $3.50. Sounds terrible until you ask how many minutes you had to work to buy … Read More
Just out from S&P/Cotality: Data through July 2026 reveals the following: Year-Over-Year The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 1.9% annual gain in July, up from a 1.6% rise in the previous month. The 10-City Composite saw an annual increase of 3.4%, up from a … Read More
Today’s column almost wrote itself after Elaine and I had a peaceful lunch following a morning of chores Monday. The general flow of events was clear, even if the specifics were still drifting. Semi-retired is a great thing. News Compressor: ON Let’s begin with the specific drift overnight…because we’re in Day One of a four-day … Read More