Tasks and timing to kick off the day. With the unspoken hope that orderly thinking will lead to orderly profits. GDP “Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 1.4 percent in the first quarter of 2024, according to the “third” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth … Read More

We open our thinking toolkit – which includes the hypothetical Directorate 153 – today as we wonder what’s been going on at Area 51. And if that might have something to do with the U.S./NATO willingness to egg Russia (and whoever else) into a nuclear showdown. However, as we face another morning of escalation potential … Read More

Like this was anything other than expected in the new Case Shiller Housing data from S&P/CoreLogic: 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 6.3% annual gain for April, down from a 6.5% annual gain in the previous month. The 10-City Composite saw an … Read More

The Stock Market put on a pretty good show Monday.  Likely, figures my consigliere, it’s because when there are obvious bubbles in play (AI, NVidia) it is about the only “safe” thing left for a Fund Manager to do. Buy the Dow. And that probably is why the Dow put on another great performance Monday. But … Read More

I happened to get up early this morning – many projects going on, so 3 AM is not as unreasonable as it sounds… – and it struck me that maybe we should publish a “predictive timeline report” so people can plan the rest of their lives more effectively. This Week Stock futures are up about … Read More

Into the heat of summer now.  Up north, say Vermont or so, it’s to the point where shop work doesn’t require a big stove and 3-hours warm-up to get the frost off tools.  Here in East Texas, it’s the Sun – and rain. Neither one of which would be particularly irksome, if only they could … Read More

There was little surprise in the Friday Housing report hitting record highs. See, when a country is locked in a blow off topping process, inflation’s effects are very predictable. It’s also useful to remind that when inflation makes it appear that prices are going up (which they are) it also means the purchasing power of … Read More

Oh, boy. Did I screw up the calendar, or what? This weekend features one of two major ham radio events of the year as far as we’re concerned.  This is when prepping gets put to the test as hams go all-out for Field Day.  Details on the ARRL website here: 2024 ARRL Field Day Theme: … Read More

DDT – it’s data dense Thursday – as we all head back to await the next holiday. Since the Fourth of July will fall on a Thursday this year – two weeks from today – we expect tons of people will turn this one into a four-day weekend. It’s worth noticing, too:  TSA on X: … Read More

It will be a couple of weeks before “The 100-Year Toaster” shows up on Amazon.  Proofreading is something I hate. It’s just so “nit-picky” – make me crazy(er). This being an American holiday, we will still do our ChartPack. Besides, Europe and elsewhere are “business as usual.” A longish read – and an extra cup … Read More

A nice, simple column today. Though we somewhat nervously eye both TS-One – which looks bound ashore in Mexico and that yellow “X” up northeast of Haiti and the D.R. Also Blowing Higher: Stocks Market did it again Monday, moving higher again in our Aggregate Index work.  But, either it has much further to go … Read More

There is a very telling long-term statistic from the UrbanSurvival website:  People seem to flock here when the market is bent-over, doubled-up, and (ahem) dumping. But the number of people reading the site drops when the market is in a long-term rally.  It’s a very telling stat because it gives us a huge insight into … Read More

9:45 AM Update – Father’s Day New panels are in place – done before breakfast as implied: They should make 240W each – which means the only action points (into hour-long blocks) will be removing the old wiring, measure and premake the extensions, mount junction boxes, complete wiring, taping. Memo to DIY home solar builders: … Read More