Economic Data

There is a difference between economic growth from mere factor mobilisation and economic growth from increased productivity. One requires a lot more capital investment and debt than the other. If and when capital investment growth slows,…

If the facts go against us, we just dismiss them by selective editing or simply making stuff up to support our original thinking. When it comes to politics, when it comes to economics, the facts don't really matter. Human reasoning is not…

Many an economic eyebrow must have been raised last Friday when Europe’s first quarter GDP data was released, and people discovered that the Greek economy had suddenly surged forward, rising by 0.8% over the level it had attained in the…

Each new version of the European debt crisis will spook the bond markets yet again. When you look at the economies of the euro-peripheral countries, it is hard to see how they can dig themselves out without a great deal of pain and serious…

A fall in commodity prices increases the potential for financial market disruption and non-performing loan problems in China.

Below are two charts from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The first shows the US Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers from 1913 through March. The second shows the same data from 1990. The US has generally had a positive…

Once politicians set policy and commit to it by signing it into existence, they would rather risk losing office than change course.

Hat tip to Steve Keen for these jokes. This is how bad the economy is.

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 244,000 in April, and the unemployment rate edged up to 9.0 percent.

Dollar pares back some of its gains ahead of NFP; risk appetite marginally improves NFP is likely to surprise to the downside but a “big miss” needed for a large market move Commodity currencies remain in focus; RBA signals potential rate…