Analysis Topic: Economic Trends Analysis
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Friday, April 08, 2011
U.S. Jobless Downtrend Remains in Place / Economics / Unemployment
By: Asha_Bangalore
Initial jobless claims fell 10,000 to 382,000 during the week ended April 2, which puts the 4-week moving average at 389,500. Continuing claims, which lag initial jobless fell 9,000 to 3.723 million. The good news is that the downward trend of jobless claims is maintained. The number of claimants under the special programs fell for the week ended March 19 declined roughly 90,000. Going forward a larger drop would be necessary to be consistent with the strength seen in private sector payrolls in February and March.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
U.S. Colombia Trade Deal to Strengthen Economic Ties with Latin America / Economics / Global Economy
By: Money_Morning
Kerri Shannon writes: The United States has resolved labor issues with Colombia, paving the way for approval of a stalled free-trade agreement (FTA) and strengthening economic ties between the countries.
The United States and Colombia were expected to announce the agreement this week after months of talks, people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
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Thursday, April 07, 2011
U.S. Economic Depression Statistics / Economics / Great Depression II
By: LewRockwell
Economic Collapse writes: If you know someone that believes that the U.S. economy is in great shape, just show that person the following statistics. But please don't show these statistics to anyone that is feeling depressed or that has just lost a job – it might push such a person over the edge. The sad truth is that the U.S. economy is in the midst of a long-term decline and it is coming apart at the seams. Right now the Obama administration and the Federal Reserve are attempting to "paper over" our economic problems with massive amounts of government debt and paper currency, but in the end it is not going to work. When you analyze the numbers objectively, it leads to the inescapable conclusion that we are headed for another Great Depression. That is a very depressing thought, but there is no denying that decades of debt and incredibly bad decisions are starting to catch up with us. The economic pain that is coming is going to be absolutely mind blowing.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
The Free Trade Theory of Comparative Advantage / Economics / Economic Theory
By: Ian_Fletcher
You can read about the free trade controversy for months and never hear about it. But in the minds of real economists, it’s there all the time, and it’s big. I’m talking about the so-called theory of comparative advantage, the theoretical lynchpin—in the view of free traders and protectionists alike—of the case for free trade. It has an unfortunate reputation for being too technically tricky for non-economists to understand, but I think this is a shame, because this myth tends to shut ordinary concerned citizens out of the debate. Therefore, I’d like to take a shot at explaining this theory.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, April 07, 2011
U.S. Federal Budget, a Rerun of 1994-95 Episode or More? / Economics / Government Spending
By: Asha_Bangalore
The continuing resolution, a temporary arrangement that is currently financing the operations of the federal government, expires on April 8, 2011. A federal government shutdown follows if Congress fails to authorize appropriations prior to this date. It is widely expected that a breakthrough in budget talks will take place prior to the deadline. However, there is uncertainty about whether a compromise will be reached at the appropriate time. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Deflationists Blind to the Inflation Storm / Economics / Inflation
By: Jim_Willie_CB
My forecast has been for a powerful Inflationary Recession to occur, a consistently laid out analysis, delivered during the last year or more in clear terms. That has been my call, and continues to be my call. The Deflationist camp is making more noises. They do not know their limitations, which are obstructed by a blind eye toward the monetary inflation. They do not understand it, so they ignore it, and attempt to encapsulate it into a convenient bottle set aside on the margin. Gonzalo Lira will be proved wrong about price inflation showing on the official Consumer Price Inflation index. So what? The prevailing price inflation will ramp past 12% easily as he also predicts. His style is wonderful, even if a mirror is a fixture at his desk. His details in argument are strong and cogent. An anger meter is a fixture at my desk.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
When Iceland Totally Froze / Economics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: David_Howden
Following the bankruptcy of the American investment bank Lehman Brothers in late 2008, credit markets all over the world seized up in a striking manifestation of the interconnectivity of the global economy. When the dust had settled, the crisis had wiped out trillions of dollars of investments, and the previously well-functioning credit markets had stalled. The most spectacular bankruptcy of the 2008 financial crisis was the collapse of Iceland's financial system. This collapse is especially intriguing as Iceland is not an underdeveloped country (it ranked third in the United Nations' 2009 Human Development Index).
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Does a Weak U.S. Dollar Cause Inflation? / Economics / Inflation
By: Axel_Merk
Should investors be concerned that a weaker U.S. dollar causes inflation? The price at the gas pump should be a stark reminder that a weaker dollar may contribute to higher prices. Yet, economists tell us that food and energy inflation does not count. Why do economists have such a baffling sense of logic? Are economists really aliens in disguise, locked up in ivory towers? Let’s shed some light on the logic and why it may not merely be strange, but wrong.
Monday, April 04, 2011
Fed Core Inflation Incompetence / Economics / Inflation
By: Michael_Pento
For years the Federal Reserve has told us that in order to detect inflation in the economy it is important to separate "signal from noise" by focusing on "core" inflation statistics, which exclude changes in food and energy prices. Because food and energy figure so prominently into consumer spending, this maneuver is not without controversy. But the Fed counters the criticism by pointing to the apparent volatility of the broader "headline" inflation figure, which includes food and energy. The Fed tells us that the danger lies in making a monetary policy mistake based on unreliable statistics. Being more stable (they tell us), the core is their preferred guide. Sounds reasonable...but it isn't.
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Monday, April 04, 2011
Is Inflation Harmless or Even Good? / Economics / Inflation
By: Robert_Murphy
As Ron Paul's "End the Fed" movement grows, more and more Fed economists are speaking up on behalf of the central bank. In a recent post, David Andolfatto of the St. Louis Fed argues that the systematic debasement of the currency has had a negligible effect on the average American. As we'll see, Andolfatto's evidence is completely irrelevant to the question. The Fed and commercial banks have been ripping off everyone who uses dollars.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Jobless Economic Recovery, Drowning in Debt, Austerity Suffering Working Class / Economics / Economic Austerity
By: John_Mauldin
- Can You Say Jobless Recovery?
- Drowning in Debt but Getting No Growth
- The Cancer of Debt
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the Muddle Through Middle with you! –With thanks to Stealers Wheel
Saturday, April 02, 2011
U.S. March Employment Situation, Fed Remains on Track to Complete QE2 / Economics / Employment
By: Asha_Bangalore
March Employment Situation – Although Private Sector Payroll Growth is Impressive, Fed is on Track to Complete QE Civilian Unemployment Rate: 8.8% in March vs. 8.9% in February. Cycle high for recession is 10.1% in October 2009.
Payroll Employment: +216,000 in March vs. +194,000 in February. Private sector jobs increased 230,000 after a gain of 240,000 in February. Revisions for January and Februay resulted in a net gain of 7,000 jobs in the economy.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
How The Foreign Laundromat Trashed the U.S. Economy / Economics / US Economy
By: Andrew_Butter
I was looking at Vietnam recently. Apparently the streets are paved with gold and so I’m going over next week to check that out, but I’m getting more confused by the minute.
On one hand (supposedly) FDI is pouring into Vietnam, on the other hand, you read in the Financial Times that the Vietnamese are sending their gold jewellery to Switzerland to be melted down and turned into ingots to be stored in a vault (outside Vietnam). Or converted into a “hard” currency…although there again, there is a bit of a debate going on these days about where you might find one of those?
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Friday, April 01, 2011
What's a Job Good For? / Economics / Employment
By: Jeffrey_A_Tucker
Most people say that a job is good for making money. So, if you don't need money, what's the point? The fabled English aristocratic class of the late 19th and early 20th century apparently thought that way, if the caricatures painted by Jeeves and Wooster, Brideshead, and the like have any truth to them. Their main job was getting dressed and undressed. It seems like young Americans are thinking the same way.
Friday, April 01, 2011
China's Highway System Growth Paves the Way to a Stronger Economy / Economics / China Economy
By: Money_Morning
Kerri Shannon writes:
What some have called "the worst traffic jam in human history" happened on the Beijing-Tibet Highway in August 2010. It trapped some drivers for more than 20 days and stretched more than 60 miles (97 kilometers).
The mess was so severe that local residents turned into vendors and profited from selling water, noodles and nuts to stalled travelers.
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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Government Spending Is Bad Economics / Economics / Government Spending
By: J_M_Finegold_Catalan
The debate about whether or not government spending is a useful countercyclical tool has been revived by the continuing economic crisis. Today, the discussion has been politicized and deals almost exclusively with the size of government debt, focusing on the tax burden this debt represents for future generations and whether or not further debt will help stimulate the economy. Politically, the result has been a middle-of-the-road fiscal policy that has left no economist satisfied. Academically, the debate is generally split between free-market and Keynesian schools of thought, with each side arguing for a policy very different from those already implemented.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
What is the U.S. Employment Picture in Really Saying? / Economics / Employment
By: Mike_Stathis
Jobs Data - As in previous months, the private sector accounted for all the job gains in February, with an addition of 222,000 positions, up from a mere 68,000 job additions in January. This represented the largest gain since April 2010. Does this represent a sign of recovery?
Once you examine these job additions, you will see that the trend of low-wage, low/no-benefit, dead-end jobs remains firmly intact. [1]
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
There Will be a Double Dip Economic Recession, the Tipping Point / Economics / Double Dip Recession
By: Richard_Hartley
The first part of this sorry tale was caused by greed and inflated money markets. This gave near full employment and unprecedented growth around the world.
The last two years has been caused by the markets realization that you cannot carry on and keep re-inflating the money markets as really there was no-one else left to lend to. People max'd out on credit cards, took equity withdrawals. A stupid scheme was enacted to allow people with no money to own homes backed by large mortgages giving to anyone that asked and to a lot that didn't but just signed on the dotted line. .
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Inflation Knuckleball / Economics / Inflation
By: Michael_Pento
By its very definition, fiat money is something created out of thin air: the word "fiat" is Latin for "let it be done" (as in, by decree). But the convenience that such a currency system offers central bankers is paid at the expense of savers.
With nothing of real or lasting value on which to anchor, the value of fiat currencies can always blow away like ashes on a windy day.
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Economists Are Hopelessly Naive About International Trade / Economics / Economic Theory
By: Ian_Fletcher
The economics profession, or well over 90 percent of it according to polls, continues to support free trade. Above all, most economists remain stuck in a cheery “win-win” fantasy of how trade works and are unable to see the brutally adversarial dynamics of trade in the real world.