1. U.S. consumer confidence in November reached its highest level since May, five months ago. 2. The Leading Economic Index for the Euro Area increased by 0.4% in October, following increases of 0.2% and 0.6% in September and August, respectively. … read more >

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) reported today that its Restaurant Performance Index reached a three-year high of 100.7 in October, the highest level since September 2007 (see chart above).  Restaurant sales set a new monthly industry record in October, with … read more >

It’s well known that Canada’s single-payer health care system frequently results in delayed access for health care, since the “free” but still scarce medical resources get inefficiently rationed by non-price methods such as long waiting times.  For example, the median … read more >

 Exhibit A:  And more examples of “consumer greed” here: Exhibit B, Exhibit C, Exhibit D, and Exhibit E.   Next time you hear somebody talk about “corporate greed” or about how greedy corporations are only concerned with profits and their “bottom … read more >

The Federal Highway Administration reported recently that travel on all roads and streets in the U.S. increased by +1.5% in September compared to the same month last year. Total travel for the month of September was estimated at 247.8 billion … read more >

The chart above shows quarterly increases in worker productivity, using output per hour from the BLS for the nonfarm business sector.  The shaded areas highlight the one-year periods following the end of the last three recessions (1990-1991, 2001, and 2007-2009), … read more >