Unemployment numbers

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Aug 6, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments This morning the U.S. Labor Department announced the unemployment figures for the month of July.  In short, they don’t look good…initially.  Technically the U.S. economy lost 131,000 jobs last month.  Of those losses 143,000 were U.S. Census jobs.  However, the private sector did add 71,000 jobs in July. More concerning to me is the trend as June’s unemployment figures were...
read more

Wonderful shareholder empowerment news

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Aug 5, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments In a decision that definitively will change the face of U.S. capitalism and investing, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today announced that in August at some point shareholders will receive the right to directly nominate candidates for a company’s board of directors.  Only shareholders who hold more than 3% of the outstanding shares will win the right to nominate directors....
read more

Evidence of the game of chicken

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Aug 3, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments Good morning everyone! Last month I wrote a post entitled “a game of chicken.”  Largely it was my analysis of the economic and financial markets landscape.  This morning brings numerical support of my contention. Consumer spending grew 0.1% in June, while the incomes of those same consumers did not grow at all; that is, they were flat.  Incomes mostly were flat because private wages...
read more

Privacy? Think again

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Aug 1, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments Late Friday evening the Wall Street Journal ran what I consider to be a shocking report.  Many of the largest websites are installing super sophisticated tracking software to micro-track your web browsing.  These sites include the likes of Google, MSN, Comcast.net., and Dictionary.com. Up to 100 pieces of tracking software can be running simultaneously.  Some of these mini-programs are tracking...
read more

Second Quarter 2010 U.S. GDP

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Jul 30, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments This morning the U.S. Commerce Department stated that the U.S. economy grew 2.4% in the second quarter.  That compares to an expected growth of 2.5%.  The 2.4% growth compares to an upwardly revised first quarter GDP growth of 3.7% – so the economy’s growth is slowing.  Additionally, the Commerce Department also revised down GDP figures dating back to 2007. Analysis: As most of you...
read more

Mischief in China

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Jul 27, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments If you have followed the blog for awhile you know that I have alluded to the fact that the Chinese economy is structurally unsound many times.  The reason is that its economy is not run for profitability, but for full employment.  If the single-party Communists couldn’t guarantee every Chinese a minimum standard of living via full employment then there would be no reason to stomach an...
read more

Latest economic data tells us not much

Posted by Jason Apollo Voss on Jul 27, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments You may have noticed that I have not been posting as frequently to the blog of late.  The reason is that the economy has remained in a consistent pattern of slow revenue growth, slightly faster profit growth, and hovering unemployment data.  There was a moment heading into last spring in which I would give weekly updates on economic data, but frankly very little of it has swayed from the above...
read more