Thursday, March 17, 2011

God help us if CNBC says it's BAD!

Although the White House is telling us the economy is coming back, is back, might come back, has rebounded back, might rebound back, probably going to take 20 years to pay off the TRILLIONS we owe, before it might come back, it seems that EVERYTHING IS A OK, except that,
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US Cost of Living Hits Record, Passing Pre-Crisis High
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One would think that after the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Americans could at least catch a break for a while with deflationary forces keeping the cost of living relatively low. That’s not the case.
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A special index created by the Labor Department to measure the actual cost of living for Americans hit a record high in February, according to data released Thursday, surpassing the old high in July 2008. The Chained Consumer Price Index, released along with the more widely-watched CPI, increased 0.5 percent to 127.4, from 126.8 in January. In July 2008, just as the housing crisis was tightening its grip, the Chained Consumer Price Index hit its previous record of 126.9.

“The Federal Reserve continues to focus on the rate of change in inflation,” said Peter Bookvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak. “Sure, it’s moving at a slower pace, but the absolute cost of living is now back at a record high in a country that has seven million less jobs.”

The regular CPI, which has already been at a record for a while, increased 0.5 percent, the fastest pace in 1-1/2 years. However, the Fed’s preferred measure, CPI excluding food and energy, increased by just 0.2 percent.

“This speaks to the need for the Fed to include food and energy when they look at inflation rather than regard them as transient costs,” said Stephen Weiss of Short Hills Capital. “Perhaps the best way to look at this is to calculate a moving average over a certain period of time in order to smooth out the peaks and valleys.”

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Did YOU need truly CNBC to tell you that things are too expensive given our static incomes? I remember the days of 'stagflation' and I dare say this is a worse situation. Oil was expensive, but the oil producers were producing. There WAS light at the end of the tunnel in that we knew our idiots and the OPEC idiots would eventually come to an agreement.
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Now, our idiots are clueless and the oil producing idiots are about to be gone amid civil wars and Islamic Infighting. Not a good situation IMHO. Not a good situation at all.
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Schteveo

9 comments:

BOW said...

Off-topic:

I'm looking at the Honor Roll at Bronx Science HS and the at the top of the class of '42 was:

Kerwin Fingerhut

Now...what made me think of posting that tidbit?

Schteveo said...

Is he in some way attached to the Fingerhut of 1950's and 1960's catalog and Sunday Newspaper sales insert company?

BOW said...

You might as well ask me if he owned the butterfinger company.

No

I thought it was a little more relevant to those playing along at home.

How about if the correct answer receives a year's supply if Turtle Wax?

BOW said...

Too much time spent with Owlsley?

Okay

Who's name starts with with "Finger and ends with 'T'"?

Since I gave you that morsel, what influential album went on sale 44 years ago today?

Spider said...

Ferlin Husky died today at age 84. :(

Schteveo said...

Spider,
I saw that. Too bad.


BOW,
I give, no clue, I'm totally stumped.

Spider said...

"Who's name starts with with "Finger and ends with 'T'"?

FINGER-POOT !!

Schteveo said...

OK, Bill, buddy, don't leave me hanging...who is it?


AC/DC Electric Circus was the album.

BOW said...

The very first Grateful Dead Album titled "The Grateful Dead"