Submitted by The Capital Spectator
Retail sales last month slipped a bit, the Census Bureau reports. But much of the decline came from the auto and related industries. Given the soft economic backdrop of late, it’s no wonder that consumers are reluctant to buy cars, which for most folks are the largest purchase after a house. […]

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Submitted by Businomics Blog
I’m staying at an Inn that’s part of a vineyard/winery/spa.  My room is luxurious, with a view you wouldn’t believe.  The food in the restaurant is top notch, and the wine excellent.  I’m enjoying myself, except for a nagging concern:  this joint don’t cash flow.
There is no way on God’s green earth […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM
WSJ–Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported today a 6.9% rise in profit for its fiscal first quarter, helped by strong international sales and a tighter grip on inventories and markdowns.
International sales jumped 22%, pushing operating income up 16%. Wal-Mart’s expansions into international markets such as Brazil and China are yielding fruit, analysts have said, […]

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Submitted by Econbrowser
The March trade release was taken as good news. Here’s some reasons to wonder a bit more about how good the news was.

Figure 1: Current account balance (blue), net exports (red), and net exports ex-oil (green), as a ratio of GDP. NBER defined recessions shaded gray. Source: BEA GDP release of 30 April […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM
The chart above (click to enlarge) shows the annual percentage growth rate of the series “Commercial and Industrial Loans at All Commercial Banks,” from the Fed, data available here at the St. Louis Fed. For the last 5 months through April 2008, the growth in business loans has been above 20%, the […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM

As the top chart above shows, since late 2006 male employment in the U.S. has been stagnant, while female employment has continued to grow. From April of last year through April 2008, men have lost 131,000 jobs while women have gained 781,000 jobs (see bottom chart).

What’s going on?

According to […]

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Submitted by CARPE DIEM
India has more billionaires than ever before. But are they robber barons or national heroes?
Find out here.
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Submitted by A Dash of Insight
On our blog agenda there is a discussion of the “alternate data universe.”
There is a rich and thriving discussion of economic data among economists — that would be the “real economists”.  We are talking about those who are (preferably) in the academic world or working on Wall Street.
There is another […]

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