The UK voters look set to provide another surprise. The pound has moved substantially as exit poll data has come out.
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Employment Situation: Maybe a Little Softer than I Thought
A couple of days ago, I noted that most indicators showed continued growth. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages figures released today indicate a slightly softer employment situation at end of 2016 than is represented by the establishment series.
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The Kansas Experiment Ends
From The Wichita Eagle:
Lawmakers rolled back Gov. Sam Brownback’s signature tax policy over his objections Tuesday night, forcing into law tax increases to fix a budget shortfall and provide more money for schools.
Implications of the President’s Muslim Travel Ban
Since the President has acknowledged that the intent of his restrictions on entry of individuals from certain countries is actually a “travel ban”, it is of interest to assess the impact on foreign travel to the United States, and consequent impact on the US economy.
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Slowdown? Recession Indicators as of June 5, 2017
As the prospects for a fiscal stimulus fade, and the prospects for protectionist backlash remain, some observers ponder whether growth will stall before it gets started.
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Kansas Employment below Peak
and declining.
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Pondering Economic Policy Implementation over the Next Four Years
From Reuters today:
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to attract good people to work in this administration,” said one senior official. “In other cases, veteran people with expertise are leaving or seeking posts overseas and away from this White House.”
FinCEN to Share Information with Senate Intelligence Committee
As noted in Wednesday’s post, FinCEN — the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network — was asked by the Senate Intelligence Committee about information regarding connections between Russia and Trump and his associates. News reports indicate that FinCEN will provide the requested information.
Stock Prices around October 20, 1973 (The Saturday Night Massacre)
Reader Julian Silk asks what happened to indicators around the Saturday Night Massacre, when President Nixon fired the Independent Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. The Baker, Bloom and Davis daily version of the Economic Policy Index only extends back to 1985. Here is the Nasdaq around that date. Since October 20th was a Saturday, the relevant dates are 10/19 and 10/22.
Figure 1: Nasdaq index, June 1973-January 1974.
The Nasdaq rose slightly today. The true issue is what happens as events unfold.
What Is FinCEN?
Several accounts [1] [2] [3] have noted that the Senate Intelligence Committee has requested information regarding related to President Donald Trump, his senior officials and his campaign staffers from the Treasury’s FinCEN. What is FinCEN?
It’s shortened form for “Financial Crimes Enforcement Network”.
From the official website:
The mission of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is to safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money laundering and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence and strategic use of financial authorities.
For the record, the current acting director is Jamal El-Hindi (as of 2:22PM Pacific).