This infographic was in the Wall Street Journal on the US election.  It is important to remember that the US does not elect the President by direct popular vote.  This makes the national polls a bit misleading.  There are 538...

Editor’s note: The U.S. economy added a disappointing 38,000 jobs last month, the smallest number in more than five years, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The weak numbers suggest a June interest rate hike – which...

The US presidential selection process is well underway, and yet there has been no coherent discussion of fiscal policy.  In part, this is because it does not appear particularly urgent.  The US deficit peaked in 2009 at 10.1% of GDP. ...

Unfortunately, even though the U.S. is bountiful and the world’s biggest individual exporter of food, millions of Americans actually are not. Each year the Department of Agriculture runs a nationwide survey to determine how many people go hungry. The latest...

The US non-farm payroll report typically dominates the first Friday a new month.  In recent years, it has become among the most important economic reports globally.  Not today.  The US non-farm payroll report typically dominates the first Friday a new...

The October employment data convinced many that a Fed hike in December is a strong probability.  On top of the strongest average hourly earnings in several years, the US reported a record increase in September consumer credit.  Earlier last week, the US...

We just learned America’s rental affordability crisis is as bad as it has ever been. Unfortunately, it is about to get a whole lot worse.  The American Community Survey for 2014, released a few weeks ago, found that the number...

Two developments make a shutdown of the US government on October 1 less likely.  First, the outgoing Speaker of the House made it clear he is determined to avoid the government shutdown, and with his resignation (as of the end...

The big question these days is when the Federal Reserve will finally raise its target interest rate for the first time in almost a decade. Its monetary policy committee is meeting this week to decide whether to do just that....

The US dollar and equity futures responded favorably to the stronger than expected durable goods orders.  The sizable upward revision in the June shipments (from 0.3% to 0.9%) underscores expectations of an upward revision to Q2 GDP when reported tomorrow. ...

The US dollar began the new week bid in Asia, but surrendered most of those initial gains before the start of the European session.  The lack of fresh news has seen the greenback drift higher in Europe, perhaps waiting for...

The US dollar is set to close the week on a strong note.  The relatively constructive data is boosting confidence that the Federal Reserve will have the opportunity it has been looking for to begin, however gradual, the normalization of...

The US dollar is enjoying firmer tone as the week winds down.  It is up against all the major currencies but the Norwegian krone today.  This trims the loss for the week.  In fact, the roughly 0.7% decline of the...

As I read the news and watch the markets, I am struck by the yawning difference between what is going on with the economy and what is happening with equities. I know the worn out arguments. People are buying stocks...

The year 2014 was a great year for the United States economy. However, the year 2015 hasn't been the same. While we are still not in dire straits, we're not seeing the consumer spending and job growth that we saw...