My Blog

Category: Business

  • The Fed & Debt Cancelation

    I met a European trader in a bar this week, who brought up the possibility that at some point, the Bank of England might just rip up the UK government debt it has acquired through quantitative easing — just straight up throw it on the fire, and tell the government it no longer owes the…

  • What Drives Corporate Profits?

    In a heady story over the Business Insider today Joe Weisenthal walks us through an analysis as to why corporate profits are so high right now.  It generally all comes down to this chart: It shows the various drivers and drags on corporate profitability. So for example, household savings are always a drag on profitability,…

  • Obama Illegaly Accepts Foreign Donations

    The Obama re-election campaign has accepted at least one foreign donation in violation of the law — and does nothing to check on the provenance of millions of dollars in other contributions, a watchdog group alleges. Chris Walker, a British citizen who lives outside London, told The Post he was able to make two $5…

  • Cook County’s New Business Killers, a/k/a Taxes

    Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s proposed budget calls for a 1.25 percent tax on businesses that buy “non-titled” items like office supplies, equipment, building materials and even artwork from outside the county’s borders.  … County businesses would be allowed to purchase these goods up to $2,500 without any penalty, county officials said. The businesses…

  • Real Commercial or a Spoof?

    I honestly don’t know. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9Twgif9gM?rel=0]

  • The Fiscal Entitlement Cliff

    The U.S. Census Bureau says 108 million Americans live in households where at least one person participates in a means-tested program. We estimate that 80 million are the primary recipients…. Since the president took office: • Medicaid is up from 46.9 million to 56 million people. • Disability beneficiaries are up from 7.5 million to…

  • CTA Scam Sucks Millions in Taxpayer Funds

    It is after all the Chicago way. The CTA has potentially inflated by up to $150 million the federal taxpayer money it received since as far back as 1982 by “fraudulently over-reporting” the number of miles CTA buses travel while in service, according to a new report by a little-known watchdog group. In its report,…

  • Google Data Centers — Photos and Comments

    Very cool photo tour of some of the stuff behind the scenes at Google data centers.

  • Bus-Only Lanes Hurt Everybody

    CTA super-express buses that will operate on 21-mile stretches of Ashland and Western avenues will have the benefit of using full-time bus-only lanes, under a still-evolving concept the transit agency and the city will present this week at three open houses, starting Tuesday. via  Chicago Tribune. This is just an extension of the ongoing war…

  • U.S. Postal Service is Dying, Why You Should Care

    The USPS has been teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. A key reason was a 2006 law that required the postal service to make annual payments of about $5.5 billion for 10 years to pay for future retiree health benefits.  … In the three months that ended June 30, the agency reported net losses of…