Month: April 2025

In 2019, the percentage of apparel trips to off-price stores was 28.1%. In 2024, 35.1%. Similarly, thrift store trips rose from 9.4% to 12.2%. However, trips to traditional department stores and general apparel stores declined from 28.5% to 21.1%, and…

Usually, last Wednesday’s stellar CPI numbers would have resulted in melting Treasury yields, but due to tariffs the report was utterly ignored. That said, M-o-M CPI fell 0.1%, the first decline since 6/24, and core CPI rose 0.1%, the smallest…

Consumer sentiment in early April continued its tailspin after a brief rise in December. Sentiment plunged 11% and like last month’s decline, was pervasive across age, income, education, location, and political affiliation. Expectations for business conditions, personal finances, income, inflation,…

The Friday File: During CY2023, the number of table egg laying hens averaged 315 million. In CY2024, due to Avian Flu the number averaged 307 million. In 2/2025 the number was just 291 million. Since 2023, the number of egg…

Yesterday’s 9.52% S&P 500 increase was the third largest since WWII. The largest boost was an 11.58% rise on 10/13/08 followed by a 10.79% updraft on 10/28/08. Both jumps occurred during the Housing Bust. The fourth biggest rise was on…

The recent steepening of the yield curve and the astounding and quick rise in 10-year and 30-year Treasury rates suggest several all-bad possibilities. Is there concern that a recession could strain federal government resources? Is China selling Treasuries? Is everyone…

Imports are 11% of GDP, and GDP is $30 trillion, making imports $3.3 trillion. As it now stands, the average tariff on imports is 24%. That results in $792 billion in tariffs. But there will of course be behavioral changes…

The Friday File: On Tuesday, Senator Corey Booker (D-NJ) gave the longest Senate speech ever: 25 hours and four minutes. This broke the previous record of 24 hours and 18 minutes set by Senator Thurmond in 1957 while filibustering the…