Econ70

In 22Q4, for the first time since at least 1974 when data became available, the quarterly number of housing units built-for-rent at 133,000 exceeded the number of single-family units built-for-sale at 126,000. Historically, the only times these numbers came close…

The state with the most presidents births is Virginia with eight, followed by Ohio with seven, New York with five, and Massachusetts with four. Those states account for 52.2% of all presidents. New Jersey and Vermont both have three, and…

The Friday File: In calendar year 2022, of the 100 most-watched U.S. television broadcasts, Super Bowl LVI was the most watched, not a big surprise. However, of the top 10 most watched shows last year, nine were NFL games, and…

From 1976 through 1979, 418,000 entry-level single-family houses/year were built, 34% of all new homes constructed. In the 1980s, the number fell to 314,000/year, still 33% of all new homes built. In the 1990s it shrank to just 207,000/year, and…

While inflation fell from 6.5% Y-o-Y in 12/22 to 6.4% in 1/23, and core inflation similarly declined from 5.7% to 5.6%, its fourth straight decline, the declines are moderating. Worse, core-services inflation, which excludes energy and is the Fed’s favorite…

In 2023, persons in a relationship plan to spend an average of $187 on Valentine’s Day gifts, down from a record $208 in 2022 but up from $144 in 2021. More interestingly, those in a dating relationship expect their partner…

While many firms are laying off staff, be it Amazon winnowing 18,000 or Disney culling 7,000, they all cut roughly 5% of their workforce. These firms probably decided in late 2022 based on economic conditions to start layoffs in early…

The Friday File: For Super Bowl LVII the Kansas City Chiefs will wear white jerseys, the Philadelphia Eagles green jerseys. Since SB I the team wearing white jerseys has won 64% of the time. Unrelatedly, the 74% accurate Super Bowl…

During the week of 1/23/23, average office use was 50.4% of its pre-pandemic level, the first time it has exceeded 50% since the start of the Covid pandemic. The office worker visit trough was 15% in spring 2020. Of the…

With cuts to Social Security and Medicare (at 23% and 14% of the budget) now apparently off the table, that leaves just 63% of the budget. But not really. Net interest is 8% and defense is 14%. That leaves just…