True, and we agree that the youth unemployment numbers might be a recession canary (probably better than eldemonio’s suggestion that ‘the military is a canary’.
An any rate, looking at black youth unemployment rates over the years we see that lower rates precede a recession, perhaps because things get better economically until they don’t.
DB2
Perhaps better quality than government numbers massaged to please leadership?
Ah, this brings up something I meant to discuss but naturally forgot.
Lately, and I mean really lately like over the last 4 - 6 months, I’ve notices that MANY more of my Amazon and other packages have been arriving in some sort of plastic bag wrapper rather than in a cardboard box. It’s striking how quickly it seems to have shifted. Even a year ago, I was “complaining” about the massive number of cardboard boxes we had to discard in the trash each cardboard recycling pickup day. Now, there are still boxes, but not nearly as many as there were in recent years. Quite a lot of stuff arrives in plastic bags instead.
However, I was very pleased to see that Amazon has really improved their packaging of laundry detergent (after the great Amazon laundry detergent spill fiasco at my house a few years ago). The detergent arrived yesterday in the box pictured below, with a very firm cardboard insert over the top of it to hold it in place and narrow firm cardboard inserts on each side to protect the sides. The plastic detergent container after removal from the box was in perfect shape, and VERY well protected from mishandling by delivery folks (unlike previously when Amazon simply tossed the plastic detergent containers(s) into a cardboard box, perhaps with some minimal paper wadding). In general, I never shy away from giving Amazon, and others, advice about packaging problems.
Seems that most people aged 16-19 should be in school, not working full time. More broadly, most of us here are old enough to remember how the cities burned, before there was “Affirmative Action”, and “DEI”. Now, those sorts of programs are defacto illegal. What does that imply?
Steve
This is true. Maybe things are no different this time, but they sure seem to be. Or maybe the stock market can flourish as society crumbles?
Re: taste of fast food
when it comes to beef, they speak of hanging time. An easy way to save. Also more beef from South America.
And the trend to grass fed beef is disaster. Corn fed beef is best. Grass is cheaper.
You get what you pay for.
And how can you taste the beef when covered w catsup, mustard, thousand island, mayo?
Yes, to an extent. It all depends on how much you slather on. If you use those things as actual condiments (a little something to add a bit of flavor or, better yet, enhance flavor), then the beef taste shines through. If you throw these on as an additional food group, not so much.
Pete
The only way that could happen is all capital is put into financial assets, instead of production, so that everything can be manipulated higher and higher, without the “burden” of anything actually being produced, so those who hold the financial assets become richer and richer, while they live in a world separate from the Proles.
Steve…mmmm….Soylent Green
The greater fool theory is a tough thing to swallow. Especially if there is money on the line. Now is not later.
Here’s another one to keep an eye on that probably reflects consumer confidence and business activity.
It is not showing anything but what looks like normal monthly variation right now, and maybe it only follows other more common economic stats. I think I’ll track it over the next few month anyway.
Ouch, that hurt my last feeling. I think it’s silly to take any one stat and think it’s the sole indicator of a recession. If only someone with more time and interest could beep, boop, bop all these things into AI and come up with a semi-comprehensive indicator!
I’m assuming you’re talking about burgers. What kind of psycho slathers ketchup on their steak?
We were at a mid-tier steak house once and the waitress brought out my Dad’s steak and said “Will you be needing A-1?”
He said “I hope not.”
