Capitalist Xmas Tree Story, Rates Flat, Jobless Claims Increase
Wanna understand the economics of Christmas Tree sales? Why not drive to the auction house and buy a truckbed full? Spoiler alert – they didn’t end up making a profit but one of their customers was a composer and made a great carol out of it. Rates – the price of Mortgage Back Securities (MBS) […]
Shipping Delays, Rates Mellow, Market Euphoria?
Shipping delays, especially for smaller retails who use the more affordable USPS, are worse than ever this year as online retail volume increased nearly double the expected 20% increase. The retailer in this story experienced 20% of orders delayed up to 4 days (in addition to loss of packages) and had to eat the cost […]
Thanksgiving Dinner 35 Year Low, Homes Appreciate 7% Nationwide
For 2020, the average cost of a Thanksgiving Dinner for 10 people was $46.90. This is a 4% decrease from last year and the lowest level since 2010. If you adjust for inflation, there hasn’t been a cheaper year since the survey started in 1986. Turkey prices dropped 7% year over year to $1.21 per […]
New Construction Demand, Home Sales on Fire
“We have been under producing for the past decade,” – Lawrence Yun, chief Economist of NAR hopes that an infastructure bill will bring high speed internet and public transportation to rural areas increasing the demand to build in places where it is cheaper and quicker to build housing. Rates – improved slightly this week as […]
Turkey Futures, Loan Performance, Tepid Inflation
As someone that loves turkey leftovers (porridge, ramen, pasta, tacos) I’ve never had a problem buying/eating a larger. This year we will likely see an oversupply of turkey and lower turkey prices after peak season. Rates – ended the week where they started with some fluctuation in response to Pfizer’s vaccine announcement (upward pressure) as […]
2021 Contribution Limits, Appreciation Strong
The IRS increased contribution limits for SEP IRA & Solo 401K contributors by $1,000. They did not increase the limit for traditional and Roth IRA’s and slightly increased the HSA contribution limit. All of these accounts enjoy tax advantaged growth. Rates – experienced nominal fluctuation this week. The 10 Year US Treasury note continues its […]
Pandemic Impact, Job Update, Home Sales Soar
In a survey by the Federal Reserve, a surprising 77% of people said they were doing ‘OK’ financially at the end of July which is a 2% increase year over year. Some of this sentiment coincides with timing of unemployment benefits. The restaurant sector is experiencing major pain but Americans are consuming 40% more pizza […]
$100 Bill, Single Family Construction Strength, Job Update
Currently there is about $2T in US paper money in worldwide circulation, roughly $200B more than last year. There are more $100 bills than $1 bills in circulation. Does the $100 bill make the cost of doing illegal business too low, and is it too easy for the ultra-rich to store cash reserves and limit […]
Home Improvements Rise, Inflation Up, Jobs Update
Google home improvement searches are up 50% from last year. 3/4 homeowners surveyed by porch.com reported they had completed major home remodels since covid. Deck construction is up 275%, landscaping hires are up 238%, and fence installation is up 144%. More time at home, extra cash on hand (from not going out/traveling), and low interest […]
Duels, Gambling, & Finance, Home Appreciation, Jobs
John Law – wins in a duel in London and is convicted of murder. He escapes from prison, flees the country, and arrives in France. There he leverages his understanding of statistics to earn a small fortune gambling, which he builds into a large fortune by creating a paper money system and giving birth to […]