Andrew White

One article in the Economist last week, “Love of Labour”, highlighted how the change in leadership in the Whitehouse has changed the government’s relationship with unions.  One particular negotiation with the union representing the air traffic controllers was re-launched by President Obama.  He promptly reversed President Bush’s directive and gave the workers a 3% pay [...]

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In “Bribing the Markets”, the Economist last week highlighted explored the impossible task of eliminating uncertainly.  The short article highlights how uncertainty is different from risk; betting on the probability of a card turning up in poker is risky business; macroeconomic analysis cannot predict all the unknown outcomes.
This article touches on some ideas that have [...]

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October 24th-30th
Briefing: America’s Public Debt – Tomorrow’s Burden.  An up to date review of the dire situation we find ourselves in.  You need to stay on top of this to appreciate the pickle we are in re politics and economics.  Our children will be materially impacted by this. 
Schumpeter: The Three Habits…of highly irritating management gurus.  [...]

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First up, “The rumours of the dollar’s death are much exaggerated” in the Financial Times, October 14th.  There is an ongoing dialog in financial circles about the dollar, its value, and if the US (Fed, government) is worried about its change in status as the world’s reserve currency. 
There are doomsday views that focus on how [...]

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Though retail spend is holding up, and the stock market is running off into the distance, Panjiva’s analysis of inbound purchased products to the US, representing a measure of global trade, suggests that organic demand in the economy remains weak.  In fact the data suggests another slight fall: See September Data: Global Trade Declines.
Re-stocking at retail [...]

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Lots of economic pundits are arguing over how the US economy will evolve in the next year or three.  As a budding market watcher, and like anyone else with a degree in economics, one feel one has to have a point of view.  So this is mine: I believe it more likely that the US [...]

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Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey seemed to suffer the wrath of some bloggers when we wrote an article, picked up by the Wall Street Journal, then the Economist, that swam against the populist mass-media.  To be “in” and a “good guy” one has to be seen to support socialist tendencies, but Mackey swam against [...]

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Well yes in practice, but the idea is real.  Numerous countries have become insolvement over the years, or close to it, from burgeoning debt who’s interest payments became so great that net debt (in absolute terms) increase faster than the capital pay down.  The only way out of this evil cycle is to print money [...]

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The Economist did it again for me last weekend.  My Economist (print edition, July 18-24) arrives Monday afternoon, but if I am lucky, it arrives with the Saturday mail.  It this last weekend so that means I get the pleasure of a quite read without any pressure to check emailJ.  Two articles looked at the [...]

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Watching CNBC’s coverage of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s grilling of Hank Paulson, and I mean grilling – they are rude, abusive and down right stupid.  Democrats (mostly) are grilling Paulson, the then head of the treasury, on his role in “saving the world” or more precisely, the global financial systems.  What a fiasco [...]

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