23 Sep 2005

Posted at 16:36h in The Friday Brief by
If they were considering a pause in their relentless rate increases the Federal Reserve Governors missed a great opportunity to both assess the effectiveness of past increases as well as to show a little social empathy.  They called Hurricane Katrina's economic disruption only temporary and made no mention of the potential economic cost of Hurricane Rita as it raced toward the heart of the nation’s oil, gas, and gasoline production facilities.  Instead of pausing they raised the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point to 3.75%.  The increase marked the 11th time since June 2004 and the longest sustained tightening campaign since 1977-79, when the Fed was fighting runaway inflation.

09 Sep 2005

Posted at 16:37h in The Friday Brief by
Inflation talk is picking up as Fed governors and economists speak these days.  This week, the Labor Department trimmed its estimate for non-farm business productivity growth in the second quarter to a 1.8% annual rate from 2.2%.  That’s down from a 3.2% pace in the first quarter.  The Labor Department also said labor costs rose more sharply in the second quarter than it first estimated, and that labor costs rose in the year ending in June at the fastest pace in five years.  Labor costs are the biggest generator of consumer inflation. 

02 Sep 2005

Posted at 16:39h in The Friday Brief by
Our prayers are with those who suffer on the Gulf coast from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and those who are there to help them.  While there is significant coverage of the sensational events stemming from the darker side of human nature, the larger and more important story is of the suffering of thousands who have lost everything and of the efforts of thousands more who are there to help them.  Once again, we have an opportunity as to people to come together to help our fellow citizens and be an example to the world.  Perhaps the greatest challenge so far has come from the Reverend Franklin Graham as he calls on churches throughout the country to invite some of those homeless into their homes and to help them get them back on their feet.