Job reports typically report on jobs as if they are a commodity; a job is a job, whether you’re a CEOs or a greeter at Wal-Mart. So it’s good news…
The Job Creation Snow Job
Consider this headline from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Unemployment rate declines to 4.7% in May; payroll employment changes little (+38,000). Great news, right? The unemployment rate fell to…
Set. Down. No Hike.
The economic outlook can be summed up in five words: Everything’s great, except what isn’t. We’ll lead with the “everything’s great” part, as seen through the filter of the Federal…
The Stock Market Needs “Seasonal Adjustment”
How many jobs did the U.S. economy generate in December? The correct answer is: 292,000 281,000 11,000 None of the above David Stockman wrote on his “Contra Corner” blog: “According…
Appearance vs. Reality
Maybe if the good news about the U.S. economy gets repeated often enough, appearance will become reality. We’re not there yet. The official word from the U.S. Bureau of Labor…
The Black Cloud in the Silver Lining
All I want for Christmas is a new economy. Ours is broken. While there are a few positive signs that optimists can latch onto, it appears that either the country…