Political Economy category archive
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
For all practical purposes, status quo ante.
(snip)
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 14,000 to 2.16 million in the week ended July 30. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.6 percent.
If One Standard Is Good, Two Must Be Better 0
Dave Helling notes that sauce for the Democratic goose is not sauce for the Republican gander:
Republicans used to make great fun of President Barack Obama for using a teleprompter, . . . .
(snip)
Gosh, I wonder if they’re rethinking those words.
That’s because Republicans of all stripes are now begging presumptive nominee Donald Trump to use a teleprompter when he speaks. Teleprompter Trump is good Trump, they say.
More at the link.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
This marks the 74th straight week that claims have been under 300k.
The four-week moving average increased to 260,250 last week after falling to 256,500 in the previous period, which was the second-lowest level since 1973.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 6,000 to 2.14 million in the week ended July 23. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.6 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
(Almost forgot it was Thursday.)
Funny Money 0
Man skates on money laundering charge when Florida judge rules that Bitcoin is not real money.
Aside:
One more time, all currency is fiat currency. No currency or specie, real or virtual, including gold or silver, has value unless persons believe it has value.
Voltaic Brexit 1
I haven’t mentioned Brexit much because I don’t know enough about it; I know only what I’ve read in the papers.
It’s not that I fear displaying my ignorance; it’s that I don’t even have enough ignorance to display. (I will say that my gut instinct is that, in a globalizing world, promoting parochialism is not a propitious proposition.)
I will commend to your attention to the latest episode of the Bad Voltage podcast, which opens with a fascinating discussion about Brexit amongst one Brit living in Britain, one expat Brit, and one American, all of them accomplished and none of them political professionals. The Brexit discussion takes up the first half-hour or so of the show.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still holding steady.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims declined to 259,000, the lowest since the end of April, from 264,750 in the prior period.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 32,000 to 2.15 million in the week ended July 2. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits increased to 1.6 percent from 1.5 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Nothing To Do. Nowhere To Go 0
Still holding.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, declined to 264,750 from 267,250 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits decreased by 44,000 to 2.12 million in the week ended June 25. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.6 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Reciprocity 2
Bonddad muses on the resurgence of right-wing politics and isolationism:
At the link, he offers a theory as to why persons might be willing to vote against what appears to be their obvious economic self-interest as described in aforesaid “mainstream economic theory.” His theory is worth a read.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still under 300k for the 69th straight week.
(snip)
The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure than the weekly claims numbers, held at 266,750.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits fell by 20,000 to 2.12 million in the week ended June 18. The four-week average declined to 2.13 million, the lowest since November 2000.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
A little better.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, fell to 267,000 from 269,250 in the prior week. Last week included the 12th of the month, which coincides with the period the Labor Department surveys employers to calculate monthly payroll data. The average is lower than the 278,000 during the comparable period in May.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits decreased by 20,000 to 2.14 million in the week ended June 11.
In their headline, Bloomberg is all a-flutter because
Jobless Claims in U.S. Declined More Than Forecast Last Week.
I suggest a more appropriate headline might have been
Our Experts Blew It Again.
Snark aside, tying economic success or failure to exceeding or failing to meet “forecasts” is a mug’s game. It serves only to feed Wall Street’s betting pools and to maintain sinecures for self-styled pseudo-savants; it has no other purpose.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still not bad.
(snip)
The four-week moving average of claims, a less volatile measure than the weekly figures, eased to 269,250 from 269,500.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 45,000 to 2.16 million in the week ended June 4. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits rose to 1.6 percent from 1.5 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Alice Cooper Moves to Kansas 0
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School’s out for summer!
School’s out forever!
School’s been blown to pieces!
(He also has a second home in Illinois.)