Economy

The payroll data this morning were pretty good given the job losses came in nearly 200,000 less than expected.  But further digging suggests the number is not nearly as bullish when parsing the data.  Below are a few data points.…

Only 345,000 jobs lost. This is a hugely bullish report despite the headine number.  Markets are already reacting.  Bonds lower (ten-year is getting killed, now near 3.90%), stocks higher. Here is what the Department of Labor had to say…

It’s about time.  The SEC has finally charged a high level executive in the banking industry in connection with activities that led to the largest bubble in U.S. history.  The accused, as expected, is Angelo Mozilo, otherwise known as “The…

The number of persons filing an initial claim for unemployment insurance in the week just ended May 30 declined to 621,000 from 625,000 the prior week.  In addition, the number of persons still receiving unemployment insurance dropped to…

As you can probably tell from previous posts, I like he Currency Strategy Team at Brown Brothers Harriman.  I do not always agree with them – I am generally dollar bearish, whereas they are not – but I do like their analysis.  Marc Chandler…

The data for personal consumption came out yesterday.  However, I have not had a chance to look at the data and write a post until now.  What I see right now is not good for a sustainable recovery.  Let me tell you why and how this could…

The Institute for Supply Management released its monthly manufacturing index.  The data shows that the manufacturing sector is still contracting with the headline number rising to 42.8 in May, up from 40.1 in April. This number was ahead of…

David Rosenberg is out today with a bullish Asia commentary.  In today’s “Breakfast with Dave” comments, he says: Asia Revival May Be For Real: Unless the data are lying, we are seeing spreading strength across the continent. This…

Charlie Rose's site says of this video clip: A conversation about Bear Sterns and the economic crisis with Kate Kelly, author of "Street Fighters: The Last 72 Hours of Bear Stearns, the Toughest Firm on Wall Street" and William D. Cohan,…

Asset bubbles are strange animals. Ideally, you would like to punch the air out of them relatively early before they become a real danger but, in practice, it is not quite so simple. Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan have actually both argued…