Friday

Purchasing-power parity is like a special calculator that helps economists compare different countries' currencies based on how much stuff you can buy with them.  Imagine you have a $10 bill, and you want to buy some candy. In the United States, that $10 might get you 10 candy bars.

Economic indicators give a sense of an economy’s present state.  But even coincident indicators offer only a model of reality.  Enter forward-looking indicators.  These are measures which have historically given a glimpse into things to come. If you think quantifying the current state of an economy is difficult, predicting its future is much more so.

Olympic events always have favored athletes, but the contests must be completed to know who really was the best at a particular moment.  Lots of money is on the line, especially in America.  To win often means a life of more publicity and even marketing deals.  For surprise winners, they’re happy to have the opportunity to prove themselves.  The Olympics would be borin

The notion of control is a comforting illusion.  The chaos of reality can feel overwhelming at times, so draping a veil over it can create the semblance of order.  Instead, the best we can all likely hope for is influence over outcome but rarely if ever full control.  Economics is a perfect example of this lack of control.  There is no single puppeteer masterfully choregraph

Americans push limits. It is an integral piece of our nation’s DNA and arguably part of what makes our nation exceptional.  Unfortunately, not all limit-pushing is good. Perhaps this note pushes a certain limit, and its result is less than pleasing (you be the judge), but let’s try anyway.

Ah, it’s Friday.  The final day of the workweek for most working Americans.  It is a day wrapped in a sense of accomplishment while tinged with the anticipation of a couple of days of leisure.  But turn back the clocks a century or so, and you find time when Friday was just another day in the seemingly endless workweek as the typical American used to have a six-day workweek

Sound waves are an interesting phenomenon.  They start out from a catalyst which vibrates a medium through which they travel.  For instance, clapping hands vibrate the air, changing its density and pressure as they travel away from the hands.  The volume, pitch, and speed of sound are all dependent variables.  For instance, the more energy that goes into a clap, the louder i

More is an American mantra.  When we line up for the all-you-can eat buffet, we want more.  When it comes to consumption, we’re the nation responsible for the bumper stick that reads, “He who dies with the most toys wins.”  More, as a concept, is endemic in the nation’s culture and doesn’t seem to be becoming unrooted. 

Spending borrowed money can be fun, but paying it back rarely is. However, that is how the financial system works in America.  A person looking to spend more than they have available borrows money from another source which has more money than it needs at the same moment in time.  This can go on and help fuel an economic expansion for a while but not forever.

A person's daily life is influenced by a complex interplay of various cycles.