Suppose we have to begin with the employment numbers just out. The official hypelines read like this: (Got your pom-poms and cheerleading clothes on?) “Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 528,000 in July, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job growth was widespread, led … Read More

The visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan will go down in history, we’re thinking, along with other great historical gaffes.  Like Chamberlain on Appeasement of Hitler.  Sometimes bright people make very bad decisions. The underlying processes leading to conflict have not really changed since World War II.  In WW III, we will see more whiz-bang … Read More

“Oh my God- Another Book” begins the morning with the first chapters of yet-another book I’m thinking about writing.  Well, maybe more than thinking about. This one is all about the coming Digital Dark Age.   The one that follows deteriorating relations with China, Iran, Russia and whoever else holds a grudge.  As they all gang … Read More

Some genuine “old reporter” chill is in order, here.  So much hype and so little hard news, that I think slowing down for a bit of perspective may be useful.  If nothing else, this may your help your blood pressure, right? From the top, then: A few years back, I wrote a wonderfully useful book called … Read More

We begin this morning hoping that Joe Biden doesn’t deteriorate further.  As you’ve heard, he’s come down with a Covid relapse.  So, while he’s not exactly out, there’s definitely some “chill pill” going on: Biden tests positive for COVID again. Not only in G.A. Stewart’s work – over at The Age of Desolation website, but … Read More

With our book on do-it-yourself home power now up on Amazon, most of the week here was focused on the next book – The 100-Year Toaster.  Not surprisingly, no one has yet bought a single copy of Power in the Second Depression.  It’s free on the Peoplenomics.com website in the Reader Bookshelf section. The 100-Year Toaster … Read More

We are coming into a period when the term “high risk” could mean more than any other in our lifetimes.  We are literally living in a “powder keg” world which could “go Archduke Ferdinand” at any second. Plus with our ChartPack – and a market that has soared (as of mid-session Friday) more than nine … Read More

A couple of Economic news releases before we launch into refried lies. The first is the ECI – Employment Cost Index.  Which, over time, feeds into the underlying inflation problem: “Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 1.3 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in June 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported … Read More

Say, I don’t like to “cast asparagus” on the financial markets, but see if we’re following along right: The Fed raised rates by 3/4 of one percent Wednesday. The morning, the Nation officially entered recession by notching a second consecutive quarterly decline in GDP. Did I miss the distro package of economic crack?  Is there … Read More

Economics drives history.  Von Clausewitz 101:  “Economics is just war by other means.” So, we have three major play-acting / Kabuki performances going this week. The curtain goes up this morning on GDP.  And for those who aren’t following what this means in terms of the ongoing war (on the people) being waged by two … Read More

The paradox of growth versus environmental balance (finally) wraps up today.  We out the final chapter of our next Peoplenomics ebook.  These are included with your Peoplenomics.com subscription.  However, some of the ebooks such as Power in the Second Depression are available on Amazon ($5.99). This final chapter has taken more than a year to … Read More

Up, Up, and Aghast! “S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index Reports Annual Home Price Gain Of 19.7% In May YEAR-OVER-YEAR The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 19.7% annual gain in May, down from 20.6% in the previous month. The 10-City Composite annual increase came in … Read More

Drop by around 8:15 AM Central for the Case-Shiller Housing report update. The balance of this week is full of “surprise risk” for markets.  Housing today, a Fed rate hike tomorrow afternoon, and a GDP report for Q2 Thursday that could indicate the nation is already in Recession. The Calendar Matters The one data point … Read More