S&P 500 The S&P 500 fell during the course of the day on Tuesday, testing the 2040 handle. The market has seen support there previously, so it’s very likely that it will find a bit of support there again. I think that the market will eventually rally due to the fact that the Federal Reserve […]

The only common factor on the economy viewed from the mainstream in the past few years is the shrinking standards by which it is judged. Janet Yellen can somehow suggest erratic 2% GDP growth is “overheating” or close to it only because that is the reduction of the “new normal.” Because that has been so […]

Markets are calmer with some better than expected figures for the US and Chinese services sectors as well as a bounce for oil. Apart from the more important oil report, we’ll have the Fed minutes high on the agenda and late in the day. While the document is from a meeting held three weeks ago, […]

“The Australian dollar has appreciated somewhat recently. In part, this reflects some increase in commodity prices, but monetary developments elsewhere in the world have also played a role. Under present circumstances,an appreciating exchange rate could complicate the adjustment under way in the economy.” – Statement by Glenn Stevens, Governor: Monetary Policy Decision, April 5, 2016 (emphasis […]

Here’s the interesting set of questions from the “Mish Mailbag” summarized as follows: How Accurate and at What Cost is BLS Data? Why isn’t there a private industry alternative?” The questions are from reader “Trevor”, a grad student, forwarded from his professor. When I first read the questions, I thought they were about jobs because […]