Tag Archives: weekly review

Should You Tell Your Kid to Drop Out of High School?

Written by Steven Hansen There have been several posts over the past few weeks discussing college / university education. Goldman Sachs economist Jan Hatzius stated: [T]he faster job growth among college graduates is entirely due to faster growth in the … Continue reading

Posted in Employment, Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Using the Jobs Report To Forecast the Economy

Written by Steven Hansen It continues to amaze me of the love affair between Wall Street and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment situation report – aka the Jobs Report.  It is nearly a worthless data set in real … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trickle Down Corporate Profits – NOT!

Written by Steven Hansen This week Personal Consumption data was released showing weak (but above expectations) growth.

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Congress Considers Screwing Seniors

Written by Steven Hansen How many of the elderly live totally on social security benefits live better and better every year?  It seems that social security is designed as a declining real benefit program. Yet the CBO in Testimony on … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Screwing the American Economy by Screwing Its Young

Written by Steven Hansen The inordinate growth of student loans – and its effect on the economy – is killing consumption (autos) and the housing sector.  This is no short term dynamic, but will effect the economy for decades. [click … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer Credit, Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How Will Ending Quantitative Easing Effect the Markets?

Written by Steven Hansen The Federal Reserve’s FOMC meeting minutes were released earlier this week indicating many (few, majority, most, all?) members were leaning towards terminating some aspects of the current quantitative easing (QE) purchases sooner rather than later. ….A … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What About a Market Correction?

Written by Steven Hansen This week, Marc Faber (aka Dr. Doom) stated on CNBC: I don’t think the market is as overbought as it was in ’87, so I don’t expect a crash. But I think for the time being, … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Underlying Trends Say The Economy Is Growing Faster

Written by Steven Hansen Last week, my weekend “think piece” showed that the unadjusted data was not (yet) confirming an economic expansion.  This week I shift to Econintersect‘s economic forecast which was published today: The index is now forecasting a … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Economy Is Improving – Really?

Written by Steven Hansen The Federal Reserve’s FOMC believes the economy’s rate of expansion is improving.  It is not that the economy MAY be expanding at a faster rate – but the evidence is mixed to negative at this point.  … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is USA Government Debt Finally Under Control?

Written by Steven Hansen You should be concerned with those who claim debt is subsiding, and therefore the government should continue high spending to stimulate the economy. Paul Krugman in a New York Times Op-Ed stated: But after peaking in … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Are Economic Headwinds Imagined?

Written by Steven Hansen What are the commonly listed headwinds to economic growth in the USA? baby boomers not spending but saving for retirement; European recession; Divided government with no direction. The divided government should be a headwind as they … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recession Markers Have Evaporated Except for ECRI’s Recession

Written by Steven Hansen This past  week Industrial Production (analysis here) finally exceeded the July peaks, and now all of the economic broad measures are at 2012 highs.  On 07 December 2012, Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI), a New York-based  … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Old People Distorting Understanding Of the Employment Situation

Written by Steven Hansen Ask 10 people what is the definition of unemployment, and you will get 10 different answers.  The tragedy is that it is likely no person’s definition will match the definition used in the creation of the … Continue reading

Posted in Employment, Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Student Loans Destroying Consumption

Written by Steven Hansen Over the long Christmas Holiday weekend, The New York Times published For Poor, Leap to College Often Ends in a Hard Fall.  The post is a anecdotal essay correlating being poor and the inability of those … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer Credit, Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Productivity is Bad: The Economy Follows

Written by Steven Hansen Pundits seem to comment on elements outside their comfort zone (areas of real expertise). Everyone is guilty from time-to-time. I know my comfort zones, and one is in labor and labor dynamics which formerly was the … Continue reading

Posted in Employment, Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is US Debt Caused by the Trade Imbalance?

Written by Steven Hansen ….. the fiscal (government) deficit in the US cannot go away unless we also deal with the trade deficit. As we will see, it is a simple accounting issue, and one based on 400 years of … Continue reading

Posted in Trade Data, Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Visualizing the Fiscal Cliff As a Life Extinction Event

Written by Steven Hansen [This post is loaded with sarcasm] A meteor coming towards the US East Coast is unlikely to stir up more headlines than the Fiscal Cliff – expiring tax cuts and forced spending cuts “destroying” America if … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Making The Economy Grow by Adding More Debt

Written by Steven Hansen I pen this while listening to the pundits talk about the terrible economy moving forward.  I too think the USA economy going forward will be mediocre at best.  This week ECRI has stated the recession began … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Twinkies Effect On Employment

Written by Steven Hansen While we watch the drama over the demise of Hostess Brands,  the financial media hums with the suggestion that the silly labor movement, as well as business errors have driven this company into the ground. Additionally, … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Economic Strangling of Joe Sixpack

Written by Steven Hansen I am not a lover of GDP as THE measure of the economy.  GDP measures money movement across sectors of the economy that economists have determined is “productive” growth.  Nothing is wrong with GDP as “one … Continue reading

Posted in Weekly Economic Summary, aa syndication | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment