Written by Steven Hansen  Econintersect’s Economic Index improvement trend continues although the value remains in the territory of weak growth. The index remains below the median levels seen since the end of the Great Recession. The data continues to suggest better dynamics in the future. Six-month employment growth forecast indicates modest improvement in the rate of growth.
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Written by Gary US stocks ended flat today (SPY +0.06%) after Fed Ms. Yellen signaled the central bank is set to raise interest rates this month if employment and other economic data hold up. 
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 Econintersect: Every day our editors collect the most interesting things they find from around the internet and present a summary “reading list” which will include very brief summaries (and sometimes longer ones) of why each item has gotten our attention. Suggestions from readers for “reading list” items are gratefully reviewed, although sometimes space limits the number included.
This feature is published every day late afternoon New York time. For early morning review of headlines see “The Early Bird” published every day in the early am at GEI News (membership not required for access to “The Early Bird”.). BECOME A GEI MEMBER – IT’s FREE! Every day most of this column (“What We Read Today”) is available only to GEI members. To become a GEI Member simply subscribe to our FREE daily newsletter. Read more … [login is ‘waller’, password is ‘2-shoe’]
Written by Gary US stocks were little changed today (SPY +0.01) after Fed Janet Yellen said an interest rate hike would be appropriate this month if economic data holds up. Investors now mulling over an overbought market and conflicting data points. 
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If you want perfects abs, there’s a price to pay… Although ironically it’s not the one working out the abs that’s doing the paying! If you do any amount of sit-ups at all you’ll quickly discover the power of workout gas.
 ECRI’s WLI Growth Index which forecasts economic growth six months forward remains in positive territory for the 49th week – after spending the previous 35 consecutive weeks in negative territory. This is compared to RecessionAlerts similar weekly leading index.
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Written by Steven Hansen  The ISM non-manufacturing (aka ISM Services) index continues its growth cycle,and improved 1.1 to 57.6 (above 50 signals expansion). Important internals were mixed. Markit PMI Services Index declined but remains in expansion..
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2017 Futures OutlookRJO Futures has put together some of the best insight into where the markets have been and what might be ahead in our 2017 Futures Outlook Guide. Papers include: * 2017 Grain Outlook * 2017 Energies Outlook * 2017 Metals Outlook This comprehensive guide includes over 60 pages of in-depth trading analysis and market strategy. Download your FREE guide now!
Written by Gary Wall Street stock future indexes pointed to a flat open (SPY -0.1%) this morning ahead of Yellen’s speech. The bitcoin hit a new record high, passing the value of an ounce of gold. 
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Week 8 of 2017 shows same week total rail traffic (from same week one year ago) insignificantly improved according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR) traffic data. 
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from STRATFOR — this post authored by Scott Stewart  With spring break season approaching for our American readers, now is a good time to provide a primer on how to plan a safe vacation for the entire family or for individual children. This information can also be useful to our international subscribers who want to make sure they stay safe during their travels.
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Even if you recycle and save electricity, you may be harming the environment in an unexpected way. Chewing gum is the second-most common form of litter after cigarette butts. 
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Written by Econintersect Early Bird Headlines 03 March 2017 Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting. 
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Written by John Lounsbury Econintersect: Aldous Huxley wrote some of the most frightening futuristic novels of the 20th century, most famously “Brave New World” in 1931, which described a world ruled by a despotic dictator who enforced auhtority through mind control, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning. This video is a 1958 interview of Mr. Huxley by Mike Wallace. 
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from The Conversation — this post authored by Michael Milford, Queensland University of Technology Tesla chief executive and OpenAI founder Elon Musk suggested last week that humanity might stave off irrelevance from the rise of the machines by merging with the machines and becoming cyborgs. 
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by Philip Pilkington Article of the Week from Fixing the Economists It’s truly infuriating to watch left-wingers talk absolute nonsense when discussing the economy. I encounter it all too often. What you generally get is a hodge-podge of incoherent economic ideas – usually incorporating the worst aspects of right-wing doctrines like monetarism – topped off with a general hand-wave that, well, capitalism is full of ‘contradictions’ and doesn’t work anyway so what’s the use of discussing it in any detail. 
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from Statista.com — this post authored by Niall McCarthy For Emma Stone, Oscar night proved second time lucky at the Academy Awards. 
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by Dan Steinbock, Difference Group To implement his $1 trillion dollar infrastructure plan, President Trump needs low rates, even though the Fed’s rate hikes will strengthen dollar. That means new uncertainty worldwide. In his Crippled America (2015), Trump argued that “our airports, bridges, water tunnels, power grids, rail systems – our nation’s entire infrastructure is crumbling, and we aren’t doing anything about it.” 
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Written by John O’Donnell, Online Trading Academy Politicians of all persuasions blame trade and cheap labor in developing economies for the decline in manufacturing employment in the U.S. “Outsourcing” or “off-shoring” are terms we often hear. But there is more to the story than those sound bites. Manufacturing employment is discussed in the video after the Read more >> jump. 
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Special Report from ProPublica — this post authored by Annie Waldman As it readies for battle with President Trump over drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry is deploying economists and health care experts from the nation’s top universities. In scholarly articles, blogs and conferences, they lend their prestige to the lobbying blitz, without always disclosing their corporate ties. 
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from William K. Black, New Economic Perspectives How has the Swedish Central Bank’s committee that awards prizes in Economics in honor of Nobel responded to the field’s abject failures regarding the recent financial crisis and the Great Recession? A lesser group would display humility, acknowledge its failures, and promise a fundamental rethink of the field. 
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from The Conversation — this post authored by Peter Horton, University of Sheffield What does a staple food such as bread have to do with global warming? For a start, to make loaves on an industrial scale, you’ll need powerful milling and kneading machines and a huge oven, heated to 230℃ or more. This uses a lot of energy. The flour, yeast and salt must also be shipped in and, finally, the finished loaves are delivered to stores – all in trucks powered by petrol. 
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from Statista.com — this post authored by Felix Richter Just hours after President Trump took office, most traces of his predecessor’s political legacy had already been scraped off the official White House website. 
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Written by Investing.com Staff, Investing.com Investing.com Technical Analysis (as of Thur, 02 March 05:20pm EST)  Below, technical overviews and analysis for key stock indices, commodities and currency pairs, based on market activity at the close of the 02 March U.S. session. This information is a comprehensive summary derived from simple and exponential moving averages along with key technical indicators shown for specific time intervals.
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