Month: July 2018

FICO scores are determined as follows: payment history is 35%, prompt is best; amount owed counts for 30%, less is best. Length of credit history is 15%, longer is better. Credit mix is 10%, varied debt types are superior to…

When tariffs are imposed on imported goods, a big loser is. . . exporters! As we reduce imports from, say, Canada, Canada’s economy and currency weaken, and its’ imports from us decline. And, if, as desired, the tariff boosts domestic…

In yet another sign of labor market tightness, the percentage of persons who quit their jobs in May was 2.4%, the highest level since January 2001, and higher than the 2.2% attained during the peak of the Housing Boom. 2.4%…

The Friday File: In 2013, coca-plant production in Colombia bottomed at 119,000 acres. It’s since skyrocketed to 361,000 acres and Columbia now accounts for 68% of global coca plant production, a new high. Not to be left out, opium-poppy production…

North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests. While that does not sound like many, only five nations have conducted more such tests since 1945. The US leads the way with 1,032 tests, followed by Russia/USSR with 715, France with 210…

Judge Brett Kavanaugh will, whenever possible, vote to rein in federal agencies and their vast and growing rulemaking authority, absent clear congressional authorization. This includes regulations on housing, net neutrality, global warming, credit card fees, labor laws, and much more.…

Already announced trade tariffs should reduce GDP by 0.1% at peak impact in mid-2019. If widened to include all proposed tariffs including autos, a 10% tariff on $400 billion of Chinese goods and equivalent retaliation, the temporary maximum hit to…

Net June job creation was a strong 213,000, and April and May numbers were collectively revised up 37,000! The unemployment rate rose to 4% from 3.8% as the labor force participation rate pleasantly climbed to 62.9% from 62.7%. Wage growth…

The Friday File: 55 years ago this week, a retailer opened an 18,000 square-foot discount store in Rogers, Arkansas called Wal-Mart, as the proprietor’s name was Sam Walton. Today, there’re 11,718 stores in 28 nations, and Walmart is the world’s…

May pending sales of existing houses declined 0.5%, are at a 4-month low, and have declined Y-o-Y for 5 straight months. Similarly, existing home sales in May declined slightly and through 5/18 are down 1.4% compared to January-May 2017. They…