The Mayhem Below the Surface of the Stock Market Seeps to the Surface: Now it’s the Giants that Topple by Wolf Richter • Jan 21, 2022 • 2 Comments The market finally gets it: The Fed is going to tighten to get a handle on its massive inflation problem.
New & Used Vehicle Inventories Rise, But for the Wrong Reasons by Wolf Richter • Jan 21, 2022 • 66 Comments New vehicle sales out-plunged production. Used vehicle supply already above normal amid weak sales.
Big Drop in Home Sales, Surging Mortgage Rates, Tight Supply: The New Dynamics Shaping Up by Wolf Richter • Jan 20, 2022 • 205 Comments But wait… Supply suddenly burst from the woodwork when mortgage rates surged before the Housing Bust. And for a reason.
Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in Canada: Mad Scramble to Lock in Rising Mortgage Rates as Bank of Canada Is Set to Tighten by Wolf Richter • Jan 19, 2022 • 143 Comments QE ended months ago and interest rates are rising. Home prices fell in three markets, but spiked in others.
Russell 2000 Drops Below Year Ago Level. Collapse of IPOs, SPACs, Housing “Tech” Stocks, ARKK, etc. Progresses by Wolf Richter • Jan 18, 2022 • 195 Comments The most-hyped stocks are collapsing, some by 90%, such as EV SPACs, as the sordid underbelly of the stock market comes systematically unglued.
The New Version of CPI for New Vehicles Will Blow Your Doors Off: Spikes Even More. WHOOSH! by Wolf Richter • Jan 18, 2022 • 92 Comments The BLS finally changed one of my pet peeves in the CPI. But the “hedonic quality adjustments” will continue until the mood improves.
Empty Shelf at a Grocery Store Near You? Tight Inventories, Labor Shortages, Supply Chain Snags, Strong Sales, Soaring Costs by Wolf Richter • Jan 17, 2022 • 257 Comments It shows how brittle the system has become in face of every new challenge.
A Factor in the Bizarre “Great Resignation” & “Labor Shortage” Phenomenon: The Huge Surge of Americans Starting Businesses by Wolf Richter • Jan 16, 2022 • 139 Comments Another testimony of the massive changes in society and the economy. But losing some of the enormous steam.
The Fed’s Huge Income Statement for 2021 Is Out: Where its Revenues Came from and Where They Went by Wolf Richter • Jan 15, 2022 • 160 Comments “Net income” is a bizarre term for an organization that buys trillions of dollars of securities with money that it itself created.
Oh My, the American Consumer amid the Distortions and Price Spikes of Our Time by Wolf Richter • Jan 14, 2022 • 131 Comments “Not seasonally adjusted” retail sales spiked to a record. “Seasonally adjusted” retail sales fell. Both: +16.9% from year ago. What the heck is going on?
Time to Revisit that Crazy Lumber Price Spike that Died and Came Back to Life by Wolf Richter • Jan 13, 2022 • 142 Comments The spike was thought to be buried and relegated to history. Turns out, it was an undead spike that’s now roaming the land again, wreaking havoc
Shipping Expenses in the US Go Through the Roof by Wolf Richter • Jan 13, 2022 • 101 Comments Amid transportation chaos & delays, high demand, soaring diesel prices, and labor shortages.
Purchasing Power of the Dollar Goes WHOOSH! by Wolf Richter • Jan 12, 2022 • 270 Comments Worst inflation in 40 years is spreading deeper into the economy.
Most Reckless Fed Ever: “Real” Federal Funds Rate Now the Most Negative Ever by Wolf Richter • Jan 12, 2022 • 159 Comments Even most junk bonds have negative “real” yields. And the Fed is still fueling this madness.
After the Shortage, a Glut? Semiconductor Sales Hit Record for 7th Month. Hundreds of Billions in New Investments Planned by Wolf Richter • Jan 12, 2022 • 76 Comments But will there be enough demand in 2023 or beyond for all this new capacity in such a cyclical industry?
Wage Price Spiral Takes Off, Companies Point at it: Albertsons Shares -8%, JP Morgan’s Dimon Sees “Huge Pressure” on Labor Market by Wolf Richter • Jan 11, 2022 • 175 Comments The Fed finally sees it too.
I Was Offered Fake 5-Star Reviews in Quantity of 10s on Google, Facebook, Tripadvisor, Yelp: Turns Out, They’re Amazingly Cheap by Wolf Richter • Jan 10, 2022 • 159 Comments They even use “software” to hide that the reviews came from India.
Buyers’ Strike Finally? Dynamics of Crazy Used-Vehicle Prices Weakened, Retail Sales Fell, Supply Ballooned to 23% Above Normal by Wolf Richter • Jan 9, 2022 • 157 Comments Are these crazy used-vehicle prices finally triggering some resistance among buyers?
Treasury Yields & Mortgage Rates Spike: Markets Begin to Grapple with Quantitative Tightening by Wolf Richter • Jan 8, 2022 • 198 Comments This is now moving fast.
Hard to Imagine the Labor Market Will Go Back to Pre-Pandemic Dynamics. Too Much Has Changed by Wolf Richter • Jan 7, 2022 • 224 Comments People got thrown out of a rut and thought about how to move forward differently. We can see that increasingly in the numbers.
