11/05/2021
Today

The Meaning Of A Very Dumb Question Posed To Me In Texas

Peter Earle, AIER

"Heading down to the bar for a celebratory drink--it was a great conference--I thought to myself: 'If that is the depth of common understanding, and the full extent of their imagination: how is any of the morass the world is descending into surprising?'" ~ Peter C. Earle

Why Did So Many Homeowners Sell to Zillow Over Summer?

Kim Velsey, NYM

The algorithm got overoptimistic, and the company is abandoning i-buying to save itself.

Investing Lessons From the Year Since '20 Vote

Market Minder, Fisher Investments

With midterm elections looming, stay above the political fray.

If the Labor Shortage Continues, Economy Won't Rebound

Gad Levanon, CNN

Though the risk of a severe labor shortage continuing into 2022 is not the most likely scenario, the chances of it are increasing. That means we could see significantly lower economic growth next year.

Today's Inflation Tax Is Not Only Real, It's Also Massive

Paul Kupiec, The Hill

In 2021, the inflation tax will be as large if not larger than the revenues the federal government will collect from individual income taxes.

You Can Be Certain You Won't Find Any Answers In 'Taper'

Jeffrey Snider, RCM

I'll bet most people thought Wednesday's taper announcement from the Federal Reserve was its second. Everyone likely remembers what everyone assumed had been the first; the one in 2013, punctuated beforehand by the fabulous "tantrum." Eight years ago was really the second, though third in actual tapering. The Fed's very first had been undertaken in August 2009. And that one had essentially been two different alterations conducted simultaneously. At that time, QE1, the program purchased both US Treasuries as well as MBS.

Hedge Funds Have Become Latest Inflation Victims

Lydia Moynihan,New York Post

After slamming everyday shoppers, manufacturers and tech giants alike, inflation is poised to claim a new set of victims: Wall Street's smartest hedge funds.

Is Our Material Gain Obsession Self Destructive?

James Rogers, Law & Liberty

James Rogers reviews Christopher Beha's novel, The Index of Self-Destructive Acts and asks whether there is an alternative to American materialism.

Cost & Quality Should Be Major Factors wFederal Contracts

Brittany Todd, RCM

For more than 60 years, air refueling tankers have served as the unheralded heroes of the American Air Force fleet. Carrying up to 83,000 pounds of cargo and refueling mid-air, Boeing's KC-135 Stratotankers allowed the U.S. military to exert force anywhere at just about any time. In June, the U.S. Air Force released a Sources Sought announcement for the Bridger Tanker Program, an initiative to replace aging KC-135s with an intermediary model. Similar to a prenuptial "save the date," the U.S Air Force is basically saying, ‘By the end of 2022, you'll be invited to bid on a contract for...

Vaxx Mandates Will Protect Workers, Boost Econ.

Marty Walsh & Jeff Zients, USAT

COVID-19 continues to hold back our workforce and our economy – and it will continue to do so until more Americans are vaccinated.

I Won't Get a 2nd Shot. C19 Vaxx Fights Nature

Medhet Khattar, Brownstone Institute

The advent of a vaccine to relieve the human population of the menace of a fatal disease should be a moment of global celebration. But to the Zero Covid mind, Covid-19 vaccines are a weapon in a fight against nature, not a voluntary health intervention to protect the vulnerable. And when humans with their propensity for muddled thinking position themselves against nature, they invariably end up positioning themselves against fellow humans.

Our Vaccine Status Is None of Their Business

Devon Westhill, RealClearMarkets

I stand with all my fellow Americans—both vaccinated and unvaccinated. And because I do, I recently refused to disclose my vaccination status. And you should, too. I was invited to speak at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School of Law about the many public and private mandates enacted, supposedly, to address COVID-19—all of which I oppose. I view vaccine mandates, for example, as the most totalitarian commands we have seen in this country since the days of eugenics-based forced sterilization—leading science, at the time.

Begin the Begin: Fed Announces Tapering

Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab

The Fed announced details of balance sheet tapering, but emphasized that the pace might be adjusted depending on inflation and economic trends heading into 2022.

What the 2020 Census Tells Us About New York

Eric Kober, Manhattan Institute

Confounding the U.S. Census Bureau's own estimates, New York City recorded a population gain of 629,057 between 2010 and 2020. The city's 7.7% population increase, to 8,804,190, is the second-largest numerically in the past nine decades, surpassed only by 1990–2000, when the enumerated...

When Inflation is High, Should You Also Buy High?

Jerry Bowyer, Vident Financial

Which indices performed better during historical periods of high and low inflation -- Growth vs. Value?

When Inflation is High, Buy High?

Jerry Bowyer, Vident Financial

Which indices performed better during historical periods of high and low inflation -- Growth vs. Value?

Special Report: Seasonal Tailwinds

Steven Vannelli, Knowledge Leaders Capital

We find compelling evidence that seasonal factors exist, historically leading November and December to be the highest 2-month combined returns all year. In our allocation portfolios, we have increased our equity exposure significantly in an effort to capitalize on these year-end trends.

Dividends by the Numbers in October 2021

Ironman, Political Calculations

While the overall picture for dividend paying firms indicates October 2021 was a period of relative strength for the U.S. stock market, there is a developing cause for concern.

Eyes on the Federal Reserve

Brian Wesbury & Robert Stein, First Trust Advisors

Investors will be focused on the Federal Reserve this week and our expectation is that it will finally announce an overdue tapering of quantitative easing. In addition, we expect Chairman Jerome Powell to make it clear in the press conference that he expects tapering to be completed by mid-2022.Inflation is clearly a problem. The CPI is up 5.4% from a year ago. When October data arrive the year-ago comparison will likely be 5.7%, the largest increase since the early 1990s. Some of this is "transitory," but not all of it, not by a long shot. Housing rents were held down artificially until...

'The Great Resignation' Misses the Point

Kathryn Hymes, Wired

The phrase has come to describe record levels of job turnover. But it overlooks the bigger story: a radical rethinking of our relationship to work.

America Is Getting Back To Work

Anneken Tappe, CNN Business

America's job market recovery hit a roadblock in the late summer and early fall. In recent months, the tally of jobs added to the economy has been disappointingly low.

In a 'Workers Economy,' Who Really Holds the Cards?

Emma Goldberg, NYT

Some people are resigning. Some are sitting on the sidelines awaiting a prime gig. Others are flexing their muscles — requesting raises, or remote options — while still clocking in.

Why I Left California for Florida

Zach Weissmueller, Reason

The Golden State is terribly run, but that's not the main reason from my move. Most of life isn't about politics, thankfully.

Will Deglobalization Fuel Inflation?

Dalia Marin, Project Syndicate

Some economists argue that the pandemic-driven retreat from globalization, together with population aging in China and the advanced economies, is a recipe for inflation. But while workers' bargaining power may rise, a wage-price spiral in the advanced economies is unlikely.

A New Era of Stagflation?

David Goldman, AIER

The US inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index reached its highest level in forty years during August and September 2021.

The Landlords Are (Largely) All Right

Jerusalem Demsas, Vox

New analysis shows that landlords were able to defer costs during Covid-19 to remain in a good financial position, at least in the short term.

Why Biden Should Replace Powell With Brainard Now

Simon Johnson, PS

Under the leadership of Jerome Powell, the US Federal Reserve seems headed for a massively consequential monetary-policy mistake. The best way to prevent it is to replace Powell with Lael Brainard, a Fed governor since 2014.

Car Shortages Are Putting the World's Economy at Risk

Jack Ewing, NY Times

Because so many jobs depend on automaking, the industry's production problems are causing the pain to ripple.

40 Defensive Stocks on Sale

Susan Dziubinski, Morningstar

These quality names are trading at 4- and 5-star levels.

It's Still the Economy, Stupid

Nick Gillespie, Reason

One of the hardest political lessons to learn is that pocketbook issues are the main driving force of electoral successes and failures.

Munger: Taxing Stock Buybacks Is Literally Insane

Matt Egan, CNN

Democrats want to tax stock buybacks to help pay for President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion spending plan. Billionaire investor Charlie Munger isn't happy about it.

Fisher Investments on Election-Year Uncertainty: This, Too, Shall Pass

Fisher Investments Editorial Staff, Fisher Investments

The Sketchy Stem Cell Industry Is Booming

Ed Cara, Gizmodo

The number of clinics selling unproven stem cell treatments in the U.S. has more than quadrupled since 2016, according to new research.

The Crypto Queen And The London Penthouse

BBC News, BBC News

The story of cryptocurrency scammer Dr Ruja Ignatova's London flat - and how her purchase was concealed.

The Same Stories, Again and Again

Morgan Housel, Collaborative Fund

The more things change....

Why Sportsbooks Are Spending Big On Media Deals

Kayleigh Barber, Digiday

Sports publishers are making millions on partnerships with sportsbooks, but the deals might not last long as sportsbooks turn competitors and consolidation looms.

Our Regulatory State Is Failing Us, #1637

Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

We recommended this in July of 2020. Thanks for catching up.

Billionaires Who Got Taxpayer-Funded Stimulus Checks

Paul Kiel, ProPublica

IRS records reveal that 18 billionaires and some 250 other ultrawealthy people received aid intended to help middle-class Americans.

7 Charts on the Fed's Tapering News

Eric Compton, Morningstar

Higher inflation may be transitory, but watch the job market for Fed rate hike cues.
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