OK, line ’em up! We begin with a slug of reports of modest importance today. Let’s start with the Durable Goods because this is as much bellwether of future, as anything: It’s an OK report in that it doesn’t look like a recession before lunch. About the same time, here comes the International Trade report … Read More
I guess we should get the economics of life out of the way first. This being Thursday, the new unemployment filings are out: What matters most to us, here lately, is the state-drilldown into UI filings: GDP is holding up but remember when inflation is running “officially” in 5+ percent range, we get a lot … Read More
Graceful engineering ideas time – something to FWD to Elon Musk? – as we consider the Surgeon General’s concerns on Social and propose radical solutions. This is as discussion about the Magic Bullet that could save Twitter for Musk and turn it to a “best of class” concern, again. No, it’s not turning off your … Read More
Party Before Work, we believe. So before jumping brain-first into the news flow, it’s focus on the fun that we (supposedly) buy with all our hard work in Life: Pre-Hol(iday) Tasking Memo is a simple concept. We are 3 1/2-days out (no one will really work after lunch on a holiday weekend Friday, right?) from … Read More
Maybe one more uptick to go this week before things get “interesting.” See, there are many parts to the game of Musical Chairs – subtext “the Blame Game” – being played now: The GOP budget no-go-ciators are trying to unwind the Buy’ed Em madness hamstringing of America’s energy independence. The dim’s are going-along with the … Read More
Yes, we are going to build something (first of 2 parts today) but there is a TON of important background to wrap-around before heading into the shop. So, from the beginning…NONE OF THIS IS MEDICAL ADVICE. You are reading ravings of a crazy man – pure and simple – right? We have, over the years, … Read More
A Quest for Answers. Markets this week closed above a critical “trading box” so it means its time to start penciling out more inflection points ahead. As we figure it now, without a Chinese move on Taiwan or the (eventual) escalation of to tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine (besides depleted uranium which will poison their … Read More
As we forecast Thursday (not as advice, only for entertainment) the Markets slammed higher Thursday as the May monthly index options matured. Today, action could be interesting as equities settle, What we face, with the “filling” of a major “Trading Box” is the problem – in long wave economic terms – “What’s next?” I’ll walk … Read More
This week, Ure did something very uncharacteristic: He lost $98 in a stock trade. Which normally would be very bad news, but in this case, the Markets were telling us “times have changed.” As a result, we are pleased to report (barring the airborne seizure of Taiwan – something of a wildcard even now) that … Read More
Mediterranean? Keto? Paleo? Bewildering choices, We have a few ideas. Which is well-timed since right after this morning’s post, Elaine and I go in for fasting blood draws. Key to us is the idea of “instrumentation” of senior health. In addition to the electronics of aging – a recording pulse-ox, CPAP data software, and a … Read More
Cocktail Napkin Economics – CNE – is our focus before returning to “money-grubbing trader” activities. Economics does NOT have to be so full of bullshit and mathematical obfuscations. It got this way because of “quants.” Economics, understand, is at its core pretty simple. People will generally earn and spend in their own best interests. Thence … Read More
OK, we are stuck “between realities” lately in the stock market. We saw disappointment in earnings recently; so much so that one fin-writer remarked “…the Recession may already be here…” But not down on Main Street. Well, at least until TODAY. NY Fed Data Freefalls Empire State Manufacturing survey: “Business activity fell sharply in New … Read More
Yeah, well…since we do call this the ShopTalk column, every once in a so-often, we like to actually build something. Big, important, flexible, resilience oriented toward local manufacturing and sustainability builds. What we’re doing today is a whole “soup to nuts” build of a Sainsmart 3018 Pro CNC that I’ve had sitting in the project queue … Read More