Catching my eye here and there around the web: latest housing indicators may not be as bullish as they seem, what to make of all the indictments, price-gouging is all-American, and more insights into fuel use per dollar of GDP.
Is the trade deficit set to stabilize as import prices rise?
Some thoughts on the latest trade price data.
GM losses and other economic news
No matter how amazing your accomplishments, it’s always nice to try to set your goals even higher. I was pretty impressed when General Motors managed to lose $1.2 billion on its North American operations in the second quarter of this year. But yesterday GM announced it had outdone even this, losing $1.6 billion on its North American operations in the third quarter.
How important is saving?
Tyler Cowen of
Marginal Revolution (along with a number of my own readers) has asked about
this statement by Michael Mandel:
Inflation’s back?
Does today’s CPI release indicate that inflation has returned?
Whither the dollar?
What the interest differentials say
Stagflation
Do recent energy shocks mean we might see a replay of the 1970’s stagflation? I believe not, and here’s why.
Macro effects of oil shocks– what should we be looking for next?
I recently prepared an entry on the macroeconomic effects of oil shocks for the new edition of the Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Here I sketch some of the material from that essay and explore the implications for where the economy may be headed next.
Oil prices coming down
Oil prices have been coming down significantly this week. Is that good economic news?
HR 3893
Having discovered that this summer’s behemoth energy bill in fact did nothing to help with the problems uncovered by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Congress is ready to try again with HR 3893, which was reported out of committee last week. This one actually has some good ideas in it.