The economics are always the lead around here, this being a one-man economics rag, more or less. So, four items for this morning’s pre-flight checklist. #1 NFIB Small Business Outlook Big companies like Apple and Tesla get the headlines almost daily. But the nation’s small business gives a sometimes very different take on things.  Especially when … Read More

The stock futures were up a few minutes after 5-AM (*Central) when Mr. Ure returned from the throne room.  Seems our spidey sense about staying out of a short position had saved this coward’s bacon again. Understand, I’m not an investor, financial advisor, or anything like that.  Economic theorist maybe.  But that really boils down to … Read More

Got “3-large” laying around with no particular plans?  Something the spouse in the house doesn’t know about ? Pal, do I have a deal for you!  I just noticed this on Amazon this week for less than $3,000 and I want one!!! (Smallest of details:  Why isn’t clear to me, except I don’t have one now…) … Read More

Football weather is our opening topic today because it’s a mood indicator.  When people are stressed, normalcy looks pretty good.  Last refuge of denial. Yet, as we “line ’em up” today, we can see that markets still can’t be counted “down and out” yet.  Although, depending on how next week goes – plus events in … Read More

There is, in our work, a certain symmetry to history.  In economics, this plays out with a “shift West” as power goes on a westerly walk-about.  This is why China is ascendant but facing prospects of Replaying the U.S. Role in the Great Depression. You can see it in the recent secret party reprimands of … Read More

A well-organized Thursday has been presented by Universe.  Because – in pyramidal organization and writing – we will begin with the small data points first.  Then work down into increasingly complex and detailed events. We’ll pitch the slow-ball game first… Productivity and Costs Economic theory holds that productivity and costs have something to do with future … Read More

Today we explore how basic human exploration drives modern behaviors. Not only in Finance, but in all sorts of human activities.  There are some things humans “just do” is the overview. We range, rest, war, forage…and around these activities human thought has filled-in things for us. Which means a lot in the investment universe.  Some … Read More

Welcome to a multi-dimensional view forward of life from the East Texas Outback. Thanks to this being a “Monday on Tuesday” – and at best a four-day work week, I thought it best to lay out what’s happening along several axes in order to simplify the morning grok. Time Axis First You know, of course, that … Read More

America was, as of the last day of August, just over $86-billion short of having a $33 TRILLION-dollar National Debt. In our reader comments, several readers questioned, in effect, “How can a country with a (claimed) Gross Domestic Product of $23.32 trillion – making debt 141.1 percent of GDP – stay in business?” A few … Read More

One indoor and one outdoor project this weekend.  We’ll do the Garden work first because I’m on a “schedule ” with this as a part of the Pomodoro   Gardener concept on the Peoplenomics.com side of things here. The idea of pomodoro gardening is in honor of Francesco Cirillo’s book (The Pomodoro Technique) on time management.  It … Read More

But which one? The ones overseas or the one on American soil?  We have data to review. Plus in our ChartPack section, we’ll explain why we elected to carry a cash position into the weekend. With odds of a peaceful weekend in trouble, we’ll keep tightly focused on the Big Things that really matter most. … Read More

The very first item of consequence is the Federal Employment Situation report (EmpSit).  Here’s the official part. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 187,000 in August, and the unemployment rate rose to 3.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage point to 3.8 percent in August, … Read More

My consigliere’s concept that “World War 1” is replaying in Ukraine – very much in the tradition of Guns of August – continues to ring true. We can skip the question of whether there will be a third Battle of Tannenberg (read on the seccond one here), but yes, it’s in Poland. And that’s why the escalation … Read More