Category: Economics

Reading Time: < 1 minute Correction or Recession?: It’s been a while since Brian Wesbury sat down in front of a camera for one of his video chats about the markets and the economy.  If you have five minutes and sufficient interest, check out his recent Wesbury 1010 video in which he explains why sees the current turmoil

Reading Time: < 1 minute Warren Buffet once said if a statue were to be erected to the person who had done the most for the American investor “the hands-down choice should be Jack Bogle.”  John C. (Jack) Bogle passed away this week at the age of 90.  He was the founder of the Vanguard Group and

Reading Time: < 1 minute Searching for Recession:  ITR Economics is well known for their use of leading indicators.  They’ve even devised a new one and it is that is truly remarkable!  One of ITR ’s young economists wondered if the frequency of the word “recession” as a search term on Google might have any predictive power. 

Reading Time: < 1 minute Sears has been struggling for many years but the speculation of the past few days that it may bypass Chapter 11 reorganization entirely and proceed to Chapter 7 Liquidation indicates just how hopeless many of its lenders believe the company’s situation has become.  This article from Business Insider tells in a

Reading Time: < 1 minute A 50/50 Proposition:   ITR Economics’ President Alan Beaulieu looks at the latest in the tariff tiff and analyzes the back and forth especially between the US and China.  He sorts out the winners and losers and explores whether it will be 50/50   He also sees some ominous signs from stock markets outside

Reading Time: < 1 minute The late Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen is reputed to have characterized the “Great Society” fiscal policy of the 1960s with the wry observation that “ A billion here, a billion there….and after a while it adds up to real money.”   Fifty years later we add a few zeros and we’re talking trillions.  

Reading Time: < 1 minute With all the disruption being wrecked on traditional businesses by newcomers with new business models, it’s important to remember that the disruptors are sometimes disrupted before they can displace their competitors. To wit: Movie Pass:   This much touted start up offered a monthly subscription model for movie fans which, as a recent

Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’re thinking about starting up a business, or know someone who is, an article from Forbes may save some time or trouble. Richard Harroch, Managing Partner at venture capital firm Vantage Point has watched many start-ups succeed,  and mostly fail. He offers a valuable checklist of thirty five steps to buy

Reading Time: < 1 minute In the late 1950s, 78% of Americans trusted their government. To find out what the number is today, check out Peggy Noonan’s recent WSJ article “We Must Improve Our Trust” for some insights into how we got to the current state of mistrust and what we might do about it. Ms Noonan

Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s one thing for a business or industry to suffer a significant downturn.  It’s quite another for an industry icon to disappear entirely. To wit: the Toys ‘R’ Us shutdown, liquidation and its soon to be total disappearance from the retail scene.  What can we learn from the demise of  Toys