All Posts Tagged With: "economists"

Economic Schools of Thought

Two Schools of Thought

There are two ways of studying economic theory. One approach is mathematical, and has been much enhanced by the computing power available to the individual economist. The other is historical and relies on the accumulated understanding of…

18Jul2008 | Whiskey and Gunpowder | 0 comments | Continued

Land of the Free

We’re in Charles de Gaulle airport, escorting Edward, 14, off to summer camp. A loud siren has gone off. We looked up. No one reacted to it. And then the siren came from another part of the airport. Still, no…

7Jul2008 | Daily Reckoning | 0 comments | Continued

House of Cards

Economic theory tries to deal with a limited number of factors and the mechanisms by which they interact. The main factors are population, food, energy, property, and manufactures, all of which are physical realities capable of being counted. They are the…

14Jun2008 | Whiskey and Gunpowder | 0 comments | Continued

NATIONAL POLITICAL BROWNOUT, PART II

As Mark Gongloff noted in a column for the Wall Street Journal, “…what the U.S. really needs, if it seeks a real fix to its energy consumption problem, is less demand, not more. Mr. Market says there’s a simple way…

13Jun2008 | Daily Reckoning | 0 comments | Continued

Stimulus Checks Push Retail Sales Rally; Economy Still Facing Uphill Battle

Stimulus checks helped send retail sales up 1% in May, the Commerce Department said yesterday (Thursday), bolstering the dollar and lifted the mood on Wall Street.

But the effects may not last, as unemployment continues to rise and crude oil supplies…

13Jun2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

Better Than Expected Economic Reports Signal the Economy Could Be Ready for a Fed on Pause

The U.S. economy shed 20,000 in April, the Department of Labor announced in its monthly employment summary, bringing total unemployment up to 5% from 5.1% last month.

“We are in a recession, this report doesn’t change that,” Ellen Zentner, an economist…

5May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

With a Rate Decision, GDP Report Due Today, the Fed Walks the High Wire Again

If U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers make the expected quarter-point rate cut at the end of their meeting today (Wednesday), the impact will be felt well beyond U.S. borders.

Indeed, the interest-rate reduction could set in motion a series of diverse global…

30Apr2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued