Our Drunken Sailors Splurged at Stores & Auto Dealers amid Lower Prices of Durable Goods, Partied at Eating & Drinking Places, and Paid an Arm and a Leg at Gas Stations by Wolf Richter • Sep 14, 2023 • 166 Comments They spent a record amount more at bars & restaurants than at food & beverage stores, which tells us something about our drunken sailors.
The Acceleration of Inflation in the Second Half Has Begun, “Disinflation” Honeymoon Terminated by Wolf Richter • Sep 13, 2023 • 329 Comments Month-to-month CPI spikes, core CPI and core services CPI accelerate, despite ongoing massive health insurance adjustment.
Tesla Price Cuts, Followed by other Automakers, Plus Surging Incentives, Hit Average Transaction Prices, after Toxic Spike by Wolf Richter • Sep 12, 2023 • 145 Comments Detroit automakers hugely overstocked, ready for a strike.
Investment-Grade Corporate Giants Suddenly Sell Huge Amounts of Debt to Front-Run even Higher Long-Term Yields by Wolf Richter • Sep 11, 2023 • 175 Comments Further pressuring long-term Treasury yields, amid fears of bad inflation “surprises.” Share buybacks a lot more expensive, but no problem either.
Mortgage-Rate Buydowns by Homebuilders Are Now All the Rage to Prop Up Sales, Lowering Effective House Prices in a Big Way, but Don’t Get Picked Up by House Price Data by Wolf Richter • Sep 10, 2023 • 279 Comments Appraisers have not yet caught on to it either.
“Unrealized Losses” on Securities Held by Banks, Oh Dearie, the Whole Schmear: +8%, to $558 Billion by Wolf Richter • Sep 8, 2023 • 257 Comments How do you lose 47% on 30-year Treasuries? Buy at auction in Aug 2020. Or carry them at purchase price and hide the “unrealized loss” in the footnotes.
Fed Balance Sheet QT: -$105 Billion in August, -$864 Billion from Peak, to $8.1 Trillion, Lowest since July 2021 by Wolf Richter • Sep 7, 2023 • 125 Comments It shed 24% of the Treasury securities it had added during pandemic QE, footprint in ballooning Treasury market shrinks.
My Favorite Recession Indicator: The Next Recession Moves Further out of Sight by Wolf Richter • Sep 7, 2023 • 221 Comments There will be a recession, there’s always a recession eventually. But we’ll just have to keep watching for it.
Accelerating Inflation without Economic Growth: Bank of Canada Holds Rate at 5.0%, with Bias to Tighten Further. QT Continues by Wolf Richter • Sep 6, 2023 • 94 Comments The BoC already shed 50% of its QE assets, and the shedding continues.
Gasoline Prices Rise Year-over-Year for First Time since Feb 2022: CPI Inflation to Feel the Heat this Year by Wolf Richter • Sep 5, 2023 • 109 Comments “Disinflation” already ended.
