U.S. employment news was disappointing again in July. American business leaders simply remain wary of Washington’s anti-business stance and rhetoric…and prefer to enhance earnings through cost-cutting investments in technology and finding more creative ways to maximize current employment levels. The American economy lost 131,000 net jobs in July, about 70,000 worse than expected. The loss [...]
Archive of entries posted in the year 2010
An Economic Chat
During the past 35 years of writing a weekly economic, financial, and (sometimes) political newsletter, I have periodically tried to present information in an unusual format so as to make “the dismal science” less intimidating and more interesting. Over the years, we have occasionally run a discussion between two old friends—Mrs. Smith and Mr. Jones—regarding [...]
“Obamacare” Comparisons
Supporters of America’s move toward a government-controlled health care system frequently make reference to similar “successful” programs in other nations. A glimpse at three such national programs seems timely… Canada A recent Reuters headline noted, “Soaring Costs Force Canada to Reassess Health Model.” The article notes that with pressure from an aging population and the [...]
A Parent’s Letter to My Children in School
To my children and grandchildren… With your focus on education, I often find myself thinking about how much the world has changed since I was in your shoes. The world is now a much “smaller” place—people of all cultures can communicate and travel with ease. You face great challenges today…just as I did…just as my [...]
Disincentives…an Update
Our Tea Leaf issue dated January 27, 2010 reviewed a handful of the major disincentives emanating from Washington DC that were currently sending shock waves through American businesses…and very likely to stifle solid levels of U.S. job creation in coming months and years. Job creation has been substandard during the past six months, with seemingly [...]
Job Sluggish
Another reasonably dismal employment report… The American economy suffered the net loss of 125,000 jobs in June, largely matching forecasting economists’ expectations. The loss was totally tied to the termination of 225,000 temporary Census jobs. Private businesses—the more critical component of U.S. employment reports as Census hiring & layoffs muddy the job picture during 2010’s [...]
Eat Pray Love
One of the painful realities of life as an economist and professional speaker is that the subject matter of economics is typically viewed (with good reason!) by the general public as confusing, intimidating, and boring. As a result, trying to present weekly economic and financial information with an unusual twist can occasionally be a most [...]
Global ABCs
This is the companion piece to Domestic ABCs of May 26, 2010 Anxiety—we’ve been through a lot during the past 24 months, with corporate and individual anxiety levels remaining high. Many investors still take a “shoot first, ask questions later” approach to their investments (meaning sell on any sign of trouble) Budget Deficits—unprecedented government spending [...]
No Pizzazz
An overview of U.S. employment data of the past two months clearly illustrates that one cannot take the “headline” numbers at full value, but must look inside the data… to illustrate… The American economy added 431,000 net new jobs in May, the largest jump in monthly employment in 10 years—but wait a minute. Forecasters had [...]
Have the Tea Leaf delivered directly to your inbox. Subscribe here.
