We return to the scene of the Fed’s last spectacular error in 2018.  Because when we look over the wreckage there, sure looks like the Fed is set up to play the “Evil Twin” of the 2018 holiday debacle. We not only go into the numbers but also sketch out how a return to work … Read More

TL;DR:  The price of gold dropped back today, but sprang right back as it seems intent on rising. Could it beat $50K per ounce? We think so.  Meanwhile CRE is scrambling and with the home stretch of a new book and great working weather, our focus moves to Peoplenomics…. No Government.  So? The Big Stuff of … Read More

TL;DR:  Wake up!  It’s Monday!  OK, now you can go back to bed.  Nothing has changed overnight.  Market is still reprising Bubble-UP (If you’re old enough to remember.) But a Woo-Woo financial dream has really blown my socks off. Powell On Deck Thurs as GovDown Rolls There.  Covered the whole week’s financial snooze for you in … Read More

TL;DR: This week’s ShopTalk: how a messy bench, a junkyard childhood, and a 3-horsepower gas engine explain the fine line between dopamine and deliverables.  Then we offer a few “brain sharpeners” to keep handy in the workplace.  And we end with a ponder (Prime Big Deals days ahead) if your shop doesn’t need a stool.” … Read More

The market’s gone full carnival again — screens glowing, traders chanting “To the Moon!” while the old pros quietly cinch their parachutes. With Washington shut down, no one really knows what the economy’s doing; the official dashboard is dark, and we’re all watching by the glow of the instruments. This week’s Peoplenomics takes apart the … Read More

TL;DR: Old news nose spotted this one at 10 AUs:  3I/ATLAS is our Lo-Cal Nothing Burger.  However, got whacked with EQ Tireds Thursday. GovDown saunters along, and with limited space and money, what’s the best options for Prime next week? Outing Chicken Little Even Elaine and I watched the “half past hysterical” reports on YT … Read More

TL;DR:  The D.C. two-step and circular firing squad continues to short-change Wee People. Failing to Deliver – and there’s no “Customer Service Dept.:  Job whacking continues lighter, and we look for a low-level business model solution to yardwork. Let’s Run the Numbers: We still don’t see a reason for the Fed’s rate cut – based … Read More

(A Glimpse Inside Peoplenomics: Issue 1217-A) History has a habit of rhyming—sometimes in whispers, sometimes with a bullhorn. In this issue, we look at two rhymes playing out in real time. The first is the rise of socialism: how it surged in the 1920s out of war, inflation, and dislocation, and how it’s back again … Read More

Just out from Case-Shiller/S&P – a Month-over-month decrease:   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 1.7% annual gain in July, down from 1.9% the previous month. The 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 2.3%, down from 2.7% the previous month. The 20-City Composite … Read More

TL;DR:  Our dance card (and “the pattern”) is full today.  Part 1 here is SATTP (short and to the point) with Part 2Housing in a few minutes. Focus around here is squeezing amps from solar… The Future is Ure’s Dow futures were down a bit more than 100 early.  S&P was down about 15, too.  … Read More

TL;DR:  We have a strong sense this could be a “Buy (the) Rumor, Sell (the) News” week.  To help you score, a checklist is provided. Mourning in Michigan but coincidence nags. And Working Weather is here for Fall. Daylight Time is a month off. BR-SN Means “Buy the Rumor, Sell the News” which – we think … Read More

This is not a normal Sunday. We’re staring into a week that has more moving parts than most months get, and they’re grinding together in ways that could spark real trouble. If you’ve lived long enough, you know the smoke smell comes before the flames. This is one of those times. We’ve caught the “whiff … Read More

Keep your head down this coming week. If you’ve been reading UrbanSurvival for any length of time, you know I’m not in the habit of hyping ordinary weeks. But next week has all the fingerprints of a compressed storm window: soft or hot housing numbers, an all-hands military meeting at Quantico, labor data rolling out … Read More