Common Cents & Hyperinflation on May 24, 2019

May 24, 2019, by John Norris

This week, Wednesday night actually, my college-aged daughter asked me a number of questions on the passing scene. What did I feel about this or that? What was my opinion on thus and so? That sort of thing. Not surprisingly, she was a little more idealistic than I on some issues, but we mostly agreed and mostly in part. Laughingly, she has a lot more time to get her head screwed on straight than I...

Episode 39 of Trading Perspectives

May 20, 2019, by Sara McPherson

Technology and Ticket Sales Ticket prices for the PGA Championship Tour were down this year and turn style attendance is proving to be on a downhill trend. Even college athletics, the MLB and the NFL are reporting fewer people in attendance. What impact will this have on local economies? This week, John and Sam talk about how technology is effecting the world of sports and how salaries for professional athletes can continue to go up...

Common Cents & The Ballpark on May 17, 2019

May 17, 2019, by John Norris

This week, I met with some clients who asked me about inflation, namely why there isn’t any. They weren’t complaining, not in the least. They were curious: how was the Federal Reserve able to pump trillions of dollars into the financial system and keep the overnight lending target rate below 3% for over a decade without prices spiraling out of control? My response took about 20 minutes, seriously. First, I told them inflation is where...

Episode 38 of Trading Perspectives

May 13, 2019, by Lindsey Owens Krausen

Climate Change: What sacrifices are you willing to make? This week John and Sam talk about the sacrifices they are willing to make when it comes to climate change. With meat free items emerging in the fast food industry, investors responded well to the IPO from Beyond Meat, the plant-based meat provider, earlier this month. Setting stock price aside, would you be willing to trade that Big Mac for the meatless alternative to support climate...

Losing Face & Trade Negotiations on May 13, 2019

May 13, 2019, by John Norris

In graduate school, I did a case study for a marketing class on selling farm equipment in China. If I remember correctly, which I believe I do, I ultimately recommended conducting a massive charm offense on the necessary cadres, at all levels, and selling our products at their variable costs until ‘we’ had achieved some solid footing or market share. The class was not amused. What about overhead? What about profit margins? What about this...

Common Cents & Uber on May 10, 2019

May 10, 2019, by John Norris

This morning, the rideshare company Uber had its Initial Public Offering (IPO), which had been a long time in the making. Despite not having turned a profit, ever, the details of the IPO valued the company north of $80 billion. Clearly, you could argue, this is a mind-boggling sum for losing money, and, surely, we must have fallen through the looking glass, as it were and as one does. Leading up to the IPO ‘Democratic’...

Episide 37 of Trading Perspectives

May 6, 2019, by Lindsey Owens Krausen

The College Admission Scandal What the college admission scandal reveals about the economics of education In episode 37 of Trading Perspectives, John and Sam talk about Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman, and the economics behind “Varsity Blues”. On April 4, 2019, Caitlin Flanagan wrote an article in The Atlantic titled “They Had It Coming”. The article suggests that the parents involved in the scandal were responding to a changing America and upset that what they considered...

Common Cents & Fedspeak on May 3, 2019

May 3, 2019, by John Norris

This morning, I met with some clients, and discussed the primary difference between the 4th Quarter of 2018 and what we have enjoyed thus far in 2019. This is the markets’ expectation(s) for the price of money in the United States moving forward. Brexit? That is still out there, somewhere, even if this slow burn isn’t making many headlines in the States any longer. Trade war with the Chinese? It seems we might be closer...

Episode 36 of Trading Perspectives

April 29, 2019, by Lindsey Owens Krausen

The Perception of Retirement: Then and Now In episode 36 of Trading Perspectives, John and Sam discuss the generational differences in the perception of retirement. Statistics show the average age of retirement has been consistently on the rise since the 1980s. More and more people are continuing to work well into their late 60s and even 70s. According to younger generations, people no longer want to be defined by their jobs. Work-life balance has become...

Common Cents & Soapboxes on April 26, 2019

April 26, 2019, by John Norris

This morning, I made a presentation on the economy to The Alabama Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, at the behest of a friend of mine. I basically lifted my core remarks straight off the pages of our 1Q 2019 Economic Overview slide deck. It was straight down the middle and what you might kind of expect from an economic talk. That is until the end, when I sort of got up on a soapbox. You...