Archives: February 2008

The Failure of Exports

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 29, Categories: Trade

We've seen a collapse of manufacturing jobs since 2000. Is this because of productivity growth or because the jobs have been moved out of the country? Here's a piece of...

Multinationals: Are They Good for America?

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 28, Categories: Trade

My new cover story: "Multinationals: Are They Good for America?"...

Nobody home

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 26, Categories: Macro

Sorry, all...focusing on a big story and blogging seem to use the same brain cells. Back very soon....

What did the Fed know, and when?

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 12, Categories: The Fed

Readers of my stories and blog will know that I am obsessed with the quality of the government statistics. Very often mistakes in economic policy can be traced to data...

Compact fluorescent lights--mostly ok

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 12, Categories: Tech

William Polley writes I've been gradually replacing most of our incandescents as they burn out. For the most part, they're ok. I do like the fact that you get more...

Why the Fed raised rates too fast

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 11, Categories: The Fed

Felix Salmon didn't like my earlier post, "perhaps the Fed raised rates too much". Felix writes: This is a weird argument. Subprime adjustable-rate mortgages only became popular in the first...

Bob Gordon Has Bad News About Productivity

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 06, Categories: Growth

Investors breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this morning's productivity number--1.8% in the fourth quarter--was not as bad as expected. But they may have exhaled too soon. The...

I don't believe the productivity numbers

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 06, Categories: Macro

This morning's release from the BLS says that nonfarm productivity grew at a 1.8% rate in fourth quarter. Quite bluntly, I'm suspicious of the number. Neither companies or consumers are...

Perhaps the Fed raised rates too much

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 05, Categories: Financial markets

Here's a thought...maybe part of the reason the credit markets are in such bad shape because the Fed raised rates too fast and too high. Think about it--they started raising...

Budget cuts hit government stats

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 05, Categories: Labor Market

The economy may be going into recession, but will we know it? Because of budget cuts, the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics, natch) being forced to eliminate or pare back...

Core and Periphery: The Logic of What Happens Next

Posted by: Michael Mandel on February 05, Categories: Financial markets

Here's how to understand what comes next. Think about the credit crisis in terms of core and periphery. The core includes those markets which are at the heart of the...