Monthly Archives: February, 2010
A Snapshot of the Economy
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) came out this week. The LEI increased 0.3% from December. Each month when the Conference Board releases the leading, coincident, and lagging indicators, my staff sends me an updated table of the numbers.
The U-Shaped Recovery?
Historically, housing recoveries follow a V-shaped trajectory. Even with significant government support, the current housing recovery, appears to be taking more of a U-shaped path. A healthy skepticism on the pace of a housing recovery remains warranted.
Commodities Demand
If you want to know what’s happening with commodities demand, this is where you want to look.
A Grave Threat
Olivier Blanchard, the IMF’s top economist, is calling for a doubling or tripling in the rate of inflation. He wants central bankers to raise their inflation targets to 4%-6% from an average of 2% today. What would possess anyone to recommend more inflation?
