Submitted by Businomics Blog
(Due to the large fluctuations we’ve had in foreign exchange rates recently, I invited Heather Johnson to contribute this post.  Contact information is at the bottom of the article.  Thanks, Heather.)
Large multi-national companies that conduct trade around the globe and do so in a number of currencies have known for decades the […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM
Down and wrong.
From today’s flawed WSJ editorial “Inflation May Be Worse Than We Think” by David Ranson:
The graph above shows how rapidly the purchasing power of income declines from an ongoing inflation of 4%. After nine years, an income of $100,000 is worth only $70,000. After 17 years its purchasing power has […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM
According to a study by the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University:
Percent of Detroit students who graduate in 4 years: 31.9%
Percent of female students who graduate in 4 years: 39%
Percent of male students who graduate in 4 years: 25%
Read the Detroit New article here.
Visit 1800blogger to see all of our industry […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM
Thomas Sowell: Venezuela is currently giving us a lesson on the consequences of price controls. The government of leftist President Hugo Chavez has imposed price controls — and seems to be surprised that lower prices have lead to reduced supplies, even though price controls have led to reduced supplies in countries around […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM

According to Daniel Gross at Slate.com, Wal-Mart’s stock is at a 2-year high (see chart above) because:
1. Wal-Mart sells necessities, not discretionary items. The overwhelming majority of its sales are not impulse buys. Even in a recession, most people don’t drastically reduce their spending on staple groceries, light bulbs, or diapers.
2. […]

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Submitted by Econbrowser
Today we received updates on U.S. house prices from two different sources. The OFHEO national house price index recorded a 1.3% decline in the price of a typical U.S. home during the fourth quarter of 2007, while the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index registered a 5.7% decline during the last three months of 2007. […]

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Submitted by Businomics Blog
An AP story confirms what the Businomics Blog reported one day earlier: the end of “the China Price.”  (Hat tip to the China Law Blog.)
… American toy makers, who rely heavily on Chinese factories, expect prices to increase 5 to 10 percent for the 2008 holiday season, largely because of rising manufacturing […]

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Submitted by A Dash of Insight
Readers of “A Dash” constitute a sophisticated investing audience.  We know this both from comments and from email.  Perhaps readers will take some time to help in our key mission — the blog about a book.
Imagine that you are an individual investor who got  your January statement and discovered that […]

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