Archives: November 2009

My Next Blog

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 25, Categories: Blog

You can find my next blog at www.southmountaineconomics.com I'm taking a hiatus from blogging for about a month. But I will be focusing on innovation and growth. (If there's any...

My whereabouts

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 20, Categories: Blog

To confirm the rumors: I was not offered a position by Bloomberg. To my friends at BusinessWeek, both old and new: We had a fantastic run, and I loved working...

Service Sector Inflation Ticks Up

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 17, Categories: Inflation

The headline number for this morning's PPI report was an 0.6% decline in the price of finished goods less food and energy ("core PPI"). In fact, core finished goods PPI...

Innovation, Jobs, and Corporate Performance

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 13, Categories: Innovation

Next week I'm looking forward to speaking at two important innovation-related conferences. On Thursday I will be in Chicago at "Innovating Our Way to Prosperity" put on by The Institute...

Advanced Technology Deficit Widens in 3rd Quarter

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 13, Categories: Trade

Here's more bad news for jobs. According to this morning's trade report, the advanced technology trade deficit widened to $18.2 billion in the third quarter, up from $12.9 billion in...

My investment choices....

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 12, Categories: Investments

...if anyone is interested. Following my usual practice, I regret to inform you that I've reduced my investments in domestic equities. I think this play still has another unhappy act...

Review of "Profit Power Economics"

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 11, Categories: Books

Over the next week, as I clean up my desk, I'm going to be doing short reviews of books that I have been meaning to write about. Let's start with...

The Big Shift

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 10, Categories: Corporations

In recent months, I've repeatedly made the point that the financial crisis was a symptom, not a cause. Innovation was weaker than expected, private sector job growth outside of healthcare...

Financial Crisis Creates Productivity Bonanza? No.

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 05, Categories: Growth

This morning's productivity numbers showed a huge gain in output per hour in the third quarter--up at an annual rate of 9.5% in the nonfarm business sector. But here's something...

Globalization and Measurement Conference

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 05, Categories: Trade

I'm about to go down to DC to attend this conference (I'm giving the after-dinner remarks as well) Measurement Issues Arising from the Growth of Globalization This is a very...

Buffett's Gloomy View of Our Economic Future?

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 03, Categories: Growth

This morning Warren Buffet's company Berkshire Hathaway announced that it was buying Burlington Northern Santa Fe in a deal valued at $44 billion. In the announcement, Buffett called the purchase...

Ford's Earning Report and Intangibles

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 02, Categories: Innovation

Ford's 3rd quarter earnings report, released this morning, showed a surprisingly large net income of almost $1 billion. The company reported that it: ...reduced its Automotive structural costs by $1...

On Trade and Living Standards

Posted by: Michael Mandel on November 01, Categories: Trade

One of my favorite commenters, Ajay, writes: Wow, when the chief economist at Businessweek is capable of writing a sentence like "if U.S.-based companies are doing their research and product...