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The New Normal in Oil and Natural Gas Prices

posted to Donald Marron on Wed 8th Sep 10

In previous posts (most recent here), I noted that oil and natural gas prices have disconnected from their usual historical relationship. For many years, oil prices (as measured in $ per barrel) tended to be 6 to 12 times natural gas prices (as measured in
August Rail Traffic, An Upbeat Economic Indicator

posted to Donald Marron on Mon 6th Sep 10

August was a busy month for America’s railroads, according to the Association for American Railroads. Traffic spiked up, as often happens during the month. More importantly, August traffic was 11% higher than a year ago (the same gain as reported in July):Carloads
Underemployment Moves Up in August

posted to Donald Marron on Sat 4th Sep 10

Friday’s job report was decidedly mixed. Private employers added 67,000 jobs–more than expected, but still tepid. Meanwhile the unemployment rate ticked up to 9.6%, and the U-6 measure of underemployment moved up to 16.7%:(As you may recall, the

The New Normal in Oil and Natural Gas Prices

posted to Donald Marron on Wed 8th Sep 10

In previous posts (most recent here), I noted that oil and natural gas prices have disconnected from their usual historical relationship. For many years, oil prices (as measured in $ per barrel) tended to be 6 to 12 times natural gas prices (as measured in
The Yield Spread and the Odds of Recession

posted to Donald Marron on Fri 27th Aug 10

Worries about a double-dip recession have spawned much economic commentary … and a humorous country and western song. So how likely is a return to recession?Researchers at the San Francisco Fed took a crack at this question a few weeks ago. Their answer?
The Chevy Volt Premium

posted to Donald Marron on Thu 5th Aug 10

The other day I noted that Amazon has been tussling with book publishers over the pricing of electronic books.Amazon would prefer a wholesale pricing model, in which it sets retail prices, rather than an agency pricing model, in which the publishers set the

Wednesday links: cool dividends

posted to Abnormal Returns on Wed 8th Sep 10

What the contraction and expansion in the market’s P/E ratio tells us about investor mood. (Big Picture)Are dividends now cool? (Crossing Wall Street)Where the Obama stock market stands relative to other administrations. (Bespoke)The good (gold) and bad
Double-Dip Probabilities

posted to Grasping Reality with Both Hands: Economist Brad DeLong's Fair, Balanced, and Reality-Based Semi-Daily Journal on Sat 28th Aug 10

Donald Marron:The Yield Spread and the Odds of Recession « Donald Marron: [H]ow likely is a return to recession? Researchers at the San Francisco Fed [Travis J. Berge and Òscar Jordà] took a crack at this question a few weeks ago. Their
Goldman Does Something Good

posted to Angry Bear on Mon 16th Aug 10

The lower the fee, the more money raised by the IPO that actually goes to pay back the taxpayer.Doesn't change that Michael Moore's analysis of GM is likely much more true than not (especially the likely reasons for the abrupt sidelining of Ed Whitacre), but