The good news is, and the bad news is:

The number of U.S. homes worth less than the debt owed on them {"under water homes"} dropped in the third quarter.

And the the bad news is:

That is because they became bank owned foreclosures.

Details at: http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=afxqi2xVQ87A&pos=7

Note: in this thread, the tie to economics can be very distant / weak and I will not remove your post if it is brief.

For example you could post:
The bad news is Elvis is dead
and the good news is he is making more money than ever.

I don't think that true, but so what. This is to be a "fun thread".
Make up what you like, hopeful with at least slight tie to economics.

 

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The classic one of the last decade is:

Good news: People are spending more than ever.

Bad news: Spending borrowed wealth and sending it to China...so they can use it to build a new high speed rail system.

http://www.thestar.com/article/906396--canadians-spending-far-beyond-means

 

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The good news is that 58% of the population is earning some income / working for pay.

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The bad news is that 64+ % were a decade ago and this one percent / year downward trend is still going down.

The graph is more scary than it seems:

Because many who expected to be retiring now saw deep loses in their 401k beginning at end of 2008, they did not retire but are still working. Why did this not make the employed/population ratio turn up instead of down? Answer: younger people, including recent college graduates, can not find even a MacJob, much less what they trained for. The "should be retired" are hanging on to their jobs. In the 16 to 24 year age group the unemployed rate is 20%. These young people are deferring marriage, staying in their parents home, and certain not buying houses.

Thus the housing market will remain depressed as those who should be buying "starter homes" so the current owner can move up are not.

 

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Bad news first:

"... World food prices rose to a record in December on higher sugar, grain and oilseed costs, the United Nations said, exceeding levels reached in 2008 that sparked deadly riots from Haiti to Egypt. ... Sugar climbed for a third year in a row in 2010, and corn jumped the most in four years in Chicago. {BT comment: You don't think tax-subsidized corn based alcohol had anything to do with that, do you?}

Food prices may rise more unless the world grain crop increases “significantly” in 2011, the FAO said Nov. 17. At least 13 people died last year in Mozambique in protests against plans to lift bread prices. “There is still, unfortunately, the potential for grain prices to strengthen on the back of a lot of uncertainty,” ..."

Now the good news:

The US inflation index excludes cost of food (and energy). Oh wait, I'm collecting Social Security, which is indexed to the CPI, - so that's bad news for me too.

 

The bad news is I've got cancer.

The good news is I have Alzheimer's and it is advancing very fast so I won't know about the cancer.

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Good news: Stocks and gold at new nominal highs
Bad news: Dollar slides down more in value.

"... April 29 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks added to the best weekly gain in a month ... The Dollar Index extended its worst monthly loss since September amid bets the Federal Reserve will maintain stimulus as the economy slows.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 0.2 percent to 1,363.61 at 4 p.m. in New York on the final session of a 2 percent weekly gain and a 2.9 percent monthly advance. The Dollar Index, which gauges the currency against six major peers, fell for a ninth day in its longest slump in four years.

China’s yuan strengthened beyond 6.5 per dollar for the first time since 1993. Gold futures reached a record $1,569.80 an ounce and oil added to an unprecedented eighth straight monthly advance. ..." From: http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=askLTZ3TjyDI&pos=2

More bad news: As stock prices are in dollars, their real value is not increasing much. - Stock price, which should reflect the real value of the company, must go up in nominal dollars.

But that's Good news for the IRS. - You will pay them more when your take you "profits" (which are not real, just nominal gains).

 

The good news is it's a can of worms;
The bad new is it's a can of worms.

Good news if you have hedged for the falling dollar and bad news if you didn't.

 

I'M not sure which is the good news and which is the bad news, so here is the news:

"...The Fed is completing its purchase of $600 billion of Treasury securities this month, leaving it with a $2.77 trillion balance sheet that some central bankers fret is already too big. ..." from: http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aI3GTPANiasE&pos=2

The other news is it certainly is not "too big" / too much value / as almost all of is worthless toxic trash the FED took off the balance sheets of the banks.

 

The bad news is that U.S. unemployment hit a new high;
The good news is that the jobless are now free to relax more, for they worked too hard and didn't even take all of their earned vacation time.

 

I think you need to check your numbers. US unemployment has not hit a new high. As recently as 2009 it was 10 percent.

That makes absoutely no sense. The good news is that over a million jobs have been created in the last several months. And the good news is that the private sector is still creating jobs.

The bad news is Republicans/Tea Partiers are still holding the "full faith and credit" along with job creation hostage to their idiotic fiscal demands.

The good news is there is still some time.

 

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics"

Things are fucking miserable out there for anyone that doesn't have a piece of paper from an institution of higher learning, or doesn't have the aptitude, time, resources, social capital, etc. to get one of these pieces of paper.

The statistics which measure unemployment that the media and pundits argue over? Nothing but lies that they manipulate every several years anyhow. Social scientists and politicians are continually fiddling with the meaning of what an "unemployment" percentage number is. When there are more jobs to be had, more people start looking for jobs, so then the percentage points of unemployment goes up? Well, why is that? Because the first number they used to measure it was disingenuous, it was a fucking lie to make the politicians look better. It doesn't take into account the number of people forced to work part-time jobs, or the number of people that won't work, because scrabbling a living and raising your family, is better than being a treated like a slave. The government lies. . . if they tell you what the unemployment rate is. . . double it, that is about what the truth it.

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http://dailybail.com/home/chart-shock-the-real-unemployment-rate-is-22.html

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The underlining assumption of this article is that there is/was a recovery. I have to be honest, I never saw it, but I guess that just depends on one's definition of what a "recovery" is. After the economic collapse of '08, I saw that as a realignment, and just one, the first of many. Since that time period, what I have seen has been a stagnation, or slow decay, with only huge infusions of government stimulus, and corporate media propaganda to obfuscate the truth.

The manner in which energy, food, and resources are going to be distributed and redistributed is going to slowly, but radically change, and I think, to a certain extent, our values. . . even whether "economic growth," for growth's sake, is good, is going to have to be re-examined. This, I think, is going to make lots of people who are very comfortable using up the planets resources and destroying less developed parts of the world, and killing dark skinned people there, just so they can live in unsustainable gluttonous ways and continue their plush lifestyle. . . . well, I'm judging now, so I'll stop. I think we see where this is going.

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No facts are our friends. Redefining statistics, metrics and measures to suit personal or political agendas is just plain dishonest.

The unemployment rate is a very well defined metric. In order to be counted as unemployed you have to be unemployed and looking for work...else you would be counting students and nursing home residents as unemployed and skewing the unemployment numbers making them useless.

There is another measure of employment, which you cite and refer to using the political name "true unemployment rate" which includes the unemployed and the under employed (those who are not earning up to their theoritical capability but they are employed).

Counting employed people as unemployed to get your "true unemployment" rate is intellectually dishonest and that is why it is not included in the unemployment rate.

 

I think it not quite so clear. It is just a practical necessity to count only those not working and seeking a job as unemployed to avoid trying to look into the hearts of some of the unemployed and not seeking to see why they are not seeking.

For example A & B may both be unemployed and not currently seeking a job but if it were possible to understand why perhaps A, who had become depressed with his 100th job application rejection and is now getting psychological help for his depression, should be counted and B who is just lazy and wants to collect unemployment checks should not be counted.

 

As Esotericist revealed charts point out the facts are not on your side no matter how much you try to spin it.

A sharp rise upwards in the unemployment numbers since late 2008 & early 2009 and levelling with periodic increase and decreases in 2010 are all products of your boy. Like it or not; believe it or not, this is exactly what he wants. By extension you as well, since you are his official tool here.

 

LOL, you had better check under the nearest rock..I hear George Soros is hiding there.

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As always Mr. Galt you completely missed the point. The points of this conversation is:

- Sciwriter was wrong in his claim that the current unemployment rate was a "record". It is not and has been disproven many times in many threads.

And as for the Esotericist's charts, they included something he and other right wingers are refering to as the "true unemployment rate" which includes employed people...that would seem to indicate that those folks are not employed.

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That is why they are not included with the people who really are unemployed.

- It is intellectually dishonest to include employed people in the unemployment rate to get the so called "true unemployment rate" as employed people are by definition no unemployed. I know you right wing folks like to invent new definitions for long established words and reinvent history. The truth hurts you guys, and I am not sorry for it.

 

The misery index is really quite moderate. It was higher under that Republican icon Ronald Regan than it is now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_index_(economics)#Misery_index_-_era_by_U.S_president

 

True, to be classified/defined as unemployed one must be capable of work. And the best determinant of ones ability is the fact that they are seeking work. In your example the worker in question was disabled (not able to work) just as are all of those folks in our nursing homes.

 

Seriously joe take a reading comprehension class, because you seriously do not comprehend anything (okay that may be a bit much, but).

Your point was not argued from Esotericist posts, but from sciwriter. Esotericist argument wasn't that the numbers are at an all -time high, nor was s/he backing scwriters point.

Merely stating that the numbers are manipulated. I was merely backing that point up by saying the in fact (like it or not) the numbers do not add well for your boy.

Again, you can try to spin all you want. But in the end you'll just be dizzy from the attempt.

No amount of spinning or putting me down or LOL at your own ignorance towards the subject will change it. The numbers don't lie and it doesn't look good for your employer.

 

LOL, I think you need to take your own advice. Go back and reread the posts mr. galt, perhaps after you take the reading comp. class.

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If you would have read and if you would have comprehended, you would have known there is no indication or evidence that the numbers are being manipulated by the administration. The only group trying to manipulate economic data and redefine the English language are the right wing whackos.