by sslifer | Mar 23, 2018 | Commentary for the Week, NumberNomics Notes
March 23, 2018 Two weeks ago, President Trump announced widespread tariffs on global imports of steel and aluminum. He is currently in the process of exempting many of our closest allies and trading partners. This week he narrowed the focus and homed in on China by...
by sslifer | Mar 16, 2018 | Commentary for the Week, NumberNomics Notes
March 16, 2018 Mortgage rates have risen 0.5% in the first three months of this year from 4.0% to 4.5%. Home prices are beginning to climb more quickly. Buyers, sellers, and realtors are getting nervous. However, it is important to remember that solid employment...
by sslifer | Mar 9, 2018 | Commentary for the Week, NumberNomics Notes
March 9, 2018 The “free trade” crowd, which includes virtually every economist, is up in arms about President Trump’s imposition of across-the-board tariffs on steel and aluminum. And to a large extent they are right. Through trade Americans have attained access to...
by sslifer | Mar 2, 2018 | Commentary for the Week, NumberNomics Notes
March 2, 2018 The Fed has embarked on a course of very slow and gradual increases in interest rates over the past two years designed to bring the funds rate into closer alignment with its historical average. It has been able to proceed slowly because the inflation...
by sslifer | Feb 23, 2018 | Commentary for the Week, NumberNomics Notes
February 23, 2018 Inflation fears sent the stock market into a tizzy in late January and early February. Those same fears rattled the bond market and boosted long-term interest rates. However, the fear of a sharp pickup in the inflation rate seems to have subsided...
by sslifer | Feb 16, 2018 | Commentary for the Week, NumberNomics Notes
February 16, 2018 The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently released its quarterly report on household debt and credit. It noted that household debt balances increased last year and are at a record high level. That is an eye-catching headline and is factually...
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