Is it real?  A major improvement in inflation prospects this morning in the new consumer price report: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, after increasing 0.4 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the … Read More

I don’t like to write sour columns. But we had a newsroom saying back during the anti-war protest days of the Vietnam War which current events hark back to. “Who wants to play Demonstration Roulette?”  Upon hearing this, the other reporters at Gallows Humor Central would pipe up.  “I’ll take the one at the Federal Building!”  … Read More

When the U.S. Treasury issues its periodic statement this afternoon, it will hopefully report more than “We’re screwed.“ Still, it begins to look that-a-way.  Market futures are down. Pressure to raise rates (higher for longer) hasn’t abated. And Ure’s been up since the wee hours (when you have to go we-wee, right?) trying to answer, “How … Read More

It has been a matter of some pride around here that our lean-to greenhouse has worked out so well, not to mention being a fun project.  Especially with the place being kept warm by one of the best bargains in the world: Our ubiquitous Chinese-made diesel truck heater. In fact, we were so tickled with … Read More

One, of course, will be the bird destined for the table in a week and a half. But the other is making waves in all kinds of ways this weekend. With the imminent expansion of the Middle East warfare to a 1,500-mile front stretching from Kiev to Egypt, a rational person might ask “With war … Read More

Spending Addiction?  America?  (With a nod to the late Leslie Nielsen) “Shirley you jest.”  (And don’t call me Shirley!) Although I got up at 3 AM today, to work on a computational finance idea (Peoplenomics, next Wed.), a good portion of the early hours was pissed away looking at Dueling Black Friday sales. Among the … Read More

There is a problem common to all investing pursuits: Which side of the Inflation Monster to play. It’s important in the very short-term, like today.  And in the longer-term, as well.  But it’s the middle ground where the art and science of living kicks in. Take this morning, for example.  From a low of 0.9330 … Read More

The times they are a-changing, and us with them. Makes for a good perspective to look back over almost 40 years of prepping work and see what thingswere stable and which pieces were changed. Plus, in our ChartPack today, we look at a simple way to extract some “rules for trading” from a table of … Read More

This should be a reasonably straightforward column to cobble up because there are only three topics that matter.  At least, for the moment. The rest of WW3 will be unwinding on us shortly. Trade: Corona Bust? Last week’s news that one of the major ocean shipping outfits was laying off 10 percent of its workforce seemed … Read More

Swear to God, most of us could take this week off. Sure, some of the regular bond auctions and a trade figure Tuesday. But for the most part this is one of those weeks that Editors hate.  There’s hardly enough to write about. Scheduling the Week For one, there is a chance that in this … Read More

(The Origins of this Project are here.) OK, depending on where you live, this is a two or three seasons deal.  But when we do a little project – like our new ‘mini tent stove‘ patio, cat playground, outdoor bar, sometimes breakfast cooking spot – it’s fun to actually show how it works. World’s Longest … Read More

Shocking rise of markets this week that almost has the odor of manipulation.  But it may portend the “worst news ever” (nukwar?) based on “buy the rumor, sell the news” theory. Which is almost as interesting, though not of as much usefulness, as our latest adventures into past life regressions. As few headlines and coffee … Read More

The departure this week of a “squad” of Benjamins worth of account value from my Lunch Money trading account, brought (somewhat brutally) to my attention that we are now likely in Wave 3 Down, of which we had (1) down seeming to complete and we are likely in the rally to be associated with Wave 3 … Read More