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(Thanks to Professor Chuck for passing on this article which inspired this morning’s note)

Inflation is up.  Since the beginning of this century, price appreciations have been relatively modest.  That isn’t to say America hasn’t experienced inflation, we have.  But under the watch of Federal Reserve Chairs Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen, and most of Jerome Powell’s first term, price gains were measured.  In fact, some argue that the F

Remember when contagion was just the ominous title of a 2011 movie dealing with a deadly disease spreading quickly around the globe while healthcare professionals scrambled to find a cure?  The premise was that a previously unseen threat reached a critical level which set off a cascade effect, reaching many facets of life.  Could such an event happen outside of Hollywood?  In sho

Rivers are useful metaphors to use when thinking about an economy.  Don’t take my word for it.  Alan Greenspan, the former Chair of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), used the figure of speech in these remarks to the National Association of Home Builders in early 1995, address

I am thankful for the opportunity to know you.  You allow me to work in a fascinating field during a riveting time in history, and your friendship makes it even more rewarding.  I wish you a meaningful Thanksgiving.  We all have plenty for which to be thankful. ~Christopher Cox

It’s not very often Atlas gets to reference a BuzzFeed.com article in our morning note, but we’ll take advantage of today’s opportunity.  Sequels are often not as good as the original.  Take this list which tallies 21 of the worst movies sequels in movie sequel history.  That’s

Econometrics is a study of economic systems using statistical methods. Bored yet?  It uses mathematical models to describe the behavior of an economy.  Most of the time a system behaves in some sort of trending pattern.  Every once in a while, however, there is sufficient change in the pattern which gets described as a structural break.

Chemistry is a subject I should have taken more seriously.  I have one class in the eleventh grade under my belt.  Now that chemistry is making its way into more economic subjects as the globe fights off a pandemic and climate change, it might need to be added to Atlas’ knowledge set.   Last Friday we published this note on sand, and now we have another which tangentia

Supplying beaches with sand is ill-advised.  For one thing, it is really tough to get out of the car’s carpet.  And have you seen gas prices?  At these levels, the last thing you need is extra weight forcing you to use more petrol as you motor toward the water.  But these are strange times.  We’re still emerging from the pandemic-related economic shutdown wh