Economics Update

You know, someone had better tell the ordinary people of the US that things are getting better, because they are not buying it. 63.2 in August, down from 66 in July.

What's more, we are seeing more signs of deflation, with consumer prices falling by 2.1% year over year, the biggest drop since January, 1950.

What's more, commercial real estate is going through the economy like a guy in a hockey mask through a road trip of teenage girls in a slasher flick, with commercial mortgage backed bonds falling, which has driven up their yields, and commercial real estate prices falling by 17% in the first ½ of the year.

We do have some good news in industrial production, where output rose by ½%, beating expectations, largely on "cash for clunkers".

The confidence figures had currency traders moving to the Yen, and it also pummeled both crude oil and wholesale gasoline futures.