Improvement in jobless claims

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Dec 30, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments The Department of Labor reported this morning that initial claims for unemployment fell by 34,000 last week to 388,000.  The decline was so large that the total initial jobless claims figure is at its lowest level since July 2008 – a moment right before the Great Recession slammed workers everywhere. Because this data is estimated statistically it is often vulnerable to inconsistency. ...
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More evidence of Chinese inflation

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Dec 28, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments This morning it was announced that the city of Beijing in China is raising its minimum wage by 21% (!).  Ostensibly the reason is because of inflationary pressures.  That is, prices are so high that people cannot afford to buy the essential staples of their life.  That kind of concern can only exist if you have a massive difference between the haves and have nots in a society.  Rhetorical...
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Consumer confidence, or not?

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Dec 28, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments This morning the Conference Board reported its monthly consumer confidence number.  Data gathered indicate that confidence fell to 52.5 from a 54.3 level in November.  Conference Board statisticians also calculate an expectations index that reflects consumer feelings about the future.  That number also fell from November’s 73.6 to a new reading of 71.9 in December. One would think that a...
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Chinese interest rate rise

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Dec 27, 2010 in Blog | 1 comment You may have heard that in a surprise announcement the Chinese government raised interest rates 0.25% on Saturday, 25 December.  As I have been writing about on the blog for several months, the effort is being launched to ease inflation pressures in China. Analysis: In my 2011 Predictions post I said that, “The Chinese are on the brink of two ugly things: massive asset inflation and the...
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Happy Holidays!

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Dec 25, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments Wherever you may be I hope that your holy day season is filled with smiles, fun, relaxation and rejuvenation!  Thank you for your continued interest in the blog and in my other media as well.  I truly appreciate all of you! Jason
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Austere Greek budget

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Dec 24, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments Yesterday saw the passage of an austere budget plan by the Greek government.  I don’t consider going into all of the details of the plan to be important.  Most importantly though, the budget deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product is projected to be 7.4% in 2011 vs. 9.6% this year. That the Greek government passed this budget amidst rioting in Greece is evidence of its serious...
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In the U.K. private investors are rising

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Dec 23, 2010 in Blog | 1 comment This morning’s edition of the Financial Times is reporting that the number and level of private investors in the United Kingdom has hit its highest level since May of 2008.  Recall that dark month was where Lehman Brothers collapsed and subsequently set in motion an ugly cause and effect chain, contributing to the onset of the Great Recession.  Additionally, stock market levels in Britain...
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