Tag Archive
Jobs: Mixed News
One of the themes we are seeing most frequently nowadays is the stock market’s over reaction to any shred of good news and its avoidance of any bad news. Today’s report on employment is a classic example.
The facts are these: payrolls dropped by 54,000 in August; the unemployment rate edged up to 9.6%; but hidden… »
Obama’s Failure
Last night Obama made a properly muted speech about our retreat from Iraq. A war that should never have been. Not a military defeat, but not a win. Just a massive cost, with no gain, and a huge loss of prestige. Then came the zinger: now we should turn our focus to domestic issues.
Huh?
A little… »
The Stimulus Worked
Why are we even talking about this?
Of course it worked.
The problem was always that it was too small, not that it might not work.
Still don’t take my word for it. Go read the Congressional Budget Office report for yourselves: CBO Report On The Stimulus
Now there will always be naysayers. Folks who just don’t want to… »
The New News Is Old News
Nothing changes it seems. Our rocky economy remains rocky. Instead of moving steadily towards the higher ground we are, apparently, doomed to wander in the lower reaches of recovery. This is not good news since it exposes us to a higher risk of relapse. But what’s new in that comment. Nothing.
Today’s report on new claims… »
Profits, But No Jobs
The dichotomy could not be more stark. Profits have recovered, so companies are generating plenty of cash internally, and few, if any, face the kind of threat that destroyed GM a couple of years ago. Yet unemployment remains stubbornly high. The stand-off between business and its workforce has reached an impasse. If you have a… »
Unicorns and Free Markets
One of the more depressing features of the discourse on the parlous state of our economy is the constant refrain from some about the need to allow ‘free markets’ to do their magic and fix our ills.
That’s nice.
Or it would be were free markets not like unicorns.
Both are beautiful and captivating. Their features send us… »
Jobless Claims Rise? Maybe
We are left trying to put a good spin on today’s sad report that new claims for  unemployment assistance rose 19,000 to 479,000. All the good work of last fall and early winter has been lost and 2010 has been a year of steady drift. Claims are now 5.5% higher than they were at the… »