2019

My recent experience with taxis On my way into Manhattan from LaGuardia Airport on Monday night, I noticed an app symbol for Curb on the payment box in my taxi. The box said I could pay for the ride with this app. So while I was in transit,…

Earnings were boosted by corporate tax cuts in the past year. And earnings growth has been buoyed by significant corporate releveraging. But 2019 is looking challenging for companies now and the chart below shows you why. While earnings…

Recalling "Trump Unchained" It started with the sacking of his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in March 2018, almost a year ago. US President Donald Trump has gradually but forcefully unchained himself from moderating influences in his…

I wanted to switch things up a bit for today's post and focus in the news. What I am going to do is present you with news as presented by traditional media. And then I am going to give you 'my take' on the story. Hopefully, this will…

The Federal Reserve's about-face on rates between December and January looks a lot more rational in the context of the US economic data released today. We saw US retail sales unexpectedly fall in December, posting the worst drop in nine…

Obama's missed opportunity In 2009 and beyond, the Obama Administration had a unique opportunity to not just recalibrate, but to replace the existing economic paradigm. They didn't do that, largely because Obama and his closest policy…

The post this morning on the evolving strategy of Germany's SPD was actually yesterday's post. I didn't get a chance to write it because I went to bed super early. So I am going to write a short piece for today's post focussing on Japan,…

There is a shift going on in Germany which has the center-left party moving away from the center after disastrous election results. And I think this is a significant signpost of the center-left's abandonment of the policies championed by…

This is one of the occasional free Credit Writedowns posts I write. If you like what you read please consider subscribing to the weekday newsletter. Right now, we are running a limited promotion where you can receive it at a 40% discount.…

I just got this via email from the US Labor Department: In the week ending February 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 234,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 253,000. The…