Welcome to Thunderdome

Leisher wrote: Growth is growth. I prefer slow and steady growth to anything else. It's boring, but safe.

I mean, you wouldn't say that at 0.5% growth. 2-3% is what we need to feel good/OK. And if we could do that forever, it would generally be OK, but not fabulous.

Yield curve has minor inversion.

Expectations for a fed rate cut have grown. Fed has not given a clear signal that it intends to do so. World economy definitely slowing (thanks, tariffs and Euro-chaos)

https://www.axios.com/us-q1-layoffs-in- ... 4ad41.html

The U.S. saw its highest level of layoffs in a first quarter since 2009, data from staffing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas released Thursday showed.

thibodeaux wrote: https://www.axios.com/us-q1-layoffs-in- ... 4ad41.html

The U.S. saw its highest level of layoffs in a first quarter since 2009, data from staffing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas released Thursday showed.

On the other hands, the jobs report was fine.

Economy expected to have grown at 2.5% rate in Q1, but actually grew at 3.2%

First-quarter GDP expanded by 3.2% in the first quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected the U.S. economy had grown by 2.5% in the first quarter. It was also the first time since 2013 that first-quarter GDP topped 3%.

Interesting... Economy created 256k jobs, and unemployment down to 3.6%, which is excellent news. Bonds are not moving in reaction to the news, which seems odd. Feel like we should have gotten some increase in yields.

Also, Buffett finally decided to buy some AMZN stock. AMZN is up more than 50 pts (2.77%) on the news.

TheCatt wrote: Interesting... Economy created 256k jobs, and unemployment down to 3.6%, which is excellent news. Bonds are not moving in reaction to the news, which seems odd. Feel like we should have gotten some increase in yields.

My gut is telling me that all the massive quantitative easing has thrown off the system. I don't think things are acting and reacting the way the economic laws dictate because we've jacked with the system so much. Or maybe more accurate to say we aren't seeing the reactions where we expect to see them.

Vince wrote: My gut is telling me that all the massive quantitative easing has thrown off the system. I don't think things are acting and reacting the way the economic laws dictate because we've jacked with the system so much.

Well, you're certainly not wrong. The fed's balance sheet is still messing things up.

Trump called for even more QE. Ugh, no.

Party City struggling.

Makes sense as we don't let kids be kids anymore, and thus, fewer kids parties.

Pier 1 struggling.

Nobody wants wicker furniture anymore.

Bed, Bath & Beyond struggling.

Overpriced store finding it hard to compete with the internet. Shocking.

Yeah, I don't think I've been into any of those stores in 10 years or more. But, I am a dude, so...

Stock market fall down go boom as China levies retaliatory tariffs.

China will raise tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. goods in retaliation for the U.S. decision to hike duties on Chinese goods, the Chinese Finance Ministry said Monday.

Beijing will increase tariffs on more than 5,000 products to as high as 25%. Duties on some other goods will increase to 20%. Those rates will rise from either 10% or 5% previously.

The move follows President Donald Trump’s decision to raise duties on $200 billion in Chinese products to 25% from 10%. The world’s two largest economies have struggled to sign a trade deal and end a widening conflict that threatens to damage the global economy.

Markets down, 10yr down to 2.22% Yield curve mildly inverted.

Economy's slowing down. Trade war not helping. People getting more pessimistic about resolution of trade issues.

China threatening US access to rare earth metals. If Civilization 3 - 6 taught me anything, it's that we're about to go to war.

Empty threat. China does not want to and cannot go to war with the U.S.

Will rare earths become a counter weapon for China to hit back against the pressure the United States has put on for no reason at all?

Go fuck yourself.

Trump's trade war might be ignorant, but you fucking pricks acting like you're completely innocent is just as bad.

You engage in more corporate espionage than any other government on Earth.
You are responsible for the vast, vast majority of pirating (movies, music, games, software, etc.).
You are still making CFCs despite the harm they do to the Earth, and your promise not to do so.
You are easily one of the most oppressive governments on the planet.
You, admittedly, had a substantial advantage in trade with the U.S.

Any one of those things is a reason to demand you change your behavior.

A billion point one screaming Chinamen are starting to wonder why they put up with the USA's shit. Because that keeps them from wondering why they put up with their own country's shit.

GORDON wrote: Because that keeps them from wondering why they put up with their own country's shit.

Remember when they tried that 30 years ago?

Google in China doesn't.

GORDON wrote: Google in China doesn't.

Gordon is killing it today.

Well, the good news for Trump is that his economic, uh, actions may harm the US so much that he gets his dream of lower interest rates...