Paulitical Economy™
A snapshot of what’s going on in the world’s economy.
Episodes
36 episodes
Post 354: Higher Prices Without Higher Value: From Pepsi to Housing
Pepsi has had 14 straight quarters of declining volume.Management springs into action.Despite beef prices rising more than 30% over the last two years, Tyson is losing hundreds of millions of dollars in its beef ...
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38:51
Post 353: A New Fed Chair and an Old Problem: Money, Markets, and Division
Politics in the U.S. is significantly more divided than back in the 1950s/60s.But the country is not divided because of the politics.The politics is divided because of monetary policy.Dick’s Spo...
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37:21
Post 352: How Central Banks Create Fake Wealth, Redistribute Real Wealth and Cause Economic Stagnation
Uber is experiencing uber sales and profit growth.By charging more and giving less.Pubs in the U.K. are banning some politicians from their establishments.It’s a tax revolt.Ranking airl...
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34:13
Post 351: The Fake Wealth Effect that Leads to a Divided Society
Delta Airlines passenger revenue growth is barely in positive territory.But falling fast in economy class.Walmart takes to the air.In less than two years drones will be delivering to over 40 million Walma...
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39:31
Post 350: Mortgage Debt of the Next Generation is Funding the Baby Boomers’ Retirement
A look at how pension plans compare between the Canadian private and public sectors.Car prices in the U.S. and Canada have soared.And no, it’s not because of tariffs.Macy’s seems to be turning around its...
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35:15
Post 349: Mortgage Burdened Youth and the Illusion of Prosperity
The price of weight-loss drugs is plummeting.Used luxury watches are a multibillion dollar business.And so are fakes.TV watching via streaming has taken over.And YouTube leads the way.<...
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36:14
Post 348: Artificial Wealth and the Enduring Allure of Easy Economics
Electric vehicle demand is a fraction of what auto manufacturers thought it would be.But government involvement helped to distort expectations.Ford takes a huge write-down.Coty is a leading cosm...
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39:28
Post 347: Christmas Music, In-Flight Miracles and Monetary Delusion
Christmas with Andy Williams and the murder trial of his ex-wife.The US restaurant industry is seeing negative foot traffic. This is what happens when inflation drives dining costs through the roof....
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44:09
Post 346: The Economy Speaks but the Government Refuses To Listen: Cue Financial Engineering
Lululemon continues to struggle in the US.While Costco continues to relentlessly drive sales higher.People continue to flock to RH for luxury furniture.But investors refuse to do likewise with the share price.
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47:43
Post 345: The Shared Misery of Canada’s Housing Affordability Crisis and Profitability Leads to Dominance
I’m reposting my first and so far only Pollitical Economy (2023) which asked you for your favourite Christmas movie.Giving you some Christmas viewing ideas.Another look at Canada’s housing affordability crisis.
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37:18
Post 344: Apple’s Story, Canada’s Blind Spot, Japan’s Dilemma
Apple is a pretty impressive business founded by a very impressive entrepreneur.But its share price is way ahead of the business i.e. expensive.We take a look back.After many quarters of negativ...
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43:28
Post 343: America is trading down and the affordability crisis policymakers don’t want to fix
Home Depot sales are once again weakening.They’re blaming a lack of hurricanes.Target department store sales are accelerating downwards.With discretionary items taking the biggest hit.M...
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41:19
Post 342: Wealth Disparity in the Special K Economy – Even the Fed is Noticing
Americans are dining out less often.Traffic has been down eight months in a row.Yet Darden, owner of Olive Garden, is seeing same store sales accelerate.But not Wendy’s:US same store sales are accelerati...
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57:48
Post 341: Denial and Decline: Signs from the Real Economy
Manufacturing in the US has been contracting for most of the last three years.Chipotle has a younger customer base that is struggling economically and thus eating at home more often.Its share price is down 47% this year.
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41:01
Post 340: The Reckoning Begins: Capital Misallocation Comes Home To Roost
All of a sudden a lot more companies are announcing layoffs.Things have significantly changed from when companies used to hoard employees just in case.A look back at Porsche.And sales are falling as their...
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47:33
Post 339: From Keynes to Krispy Kreme: The Economics of Unsustainable Indulgence
A look at social security in the US.It will be insolvent within ten years in large part because deductions from payroll to pay for social security are consumed rather than invested.Krispy Kreme is experiencing co...
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49:42
Post 338: Pepsi and governments lower the volume with further confirmation of our Special K economy
Cheap funding has been the main cause of housing affordability crises.After two quarters of negative sales growth, luxury group LVMH creeps into positive territory.And after only one quarter of negative sales growth, Domi...
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37:38
Post 337: More Beer, Less Bubbles: When Policymakers Toast Fake Growth
Beer maker Constellation Brands’ sales and share price are going down faster than its beer. US office vacancy rate ticked down from last year. But is still over 25% in some Western cities.
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42:18
Post 336: “Truckloads, Tax Loads, and the Working-Class Squeeze”
PACCAR is one of the leading truck manufacturers in the U.S.A look back.New truck deliveries are down 13.5% from pre-COVIDJ.B. Hunt is one of America’s largest trucking companies and its sales growth has...
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35:30
Post 335: Paycheck to Paycheck, Kellogg’s, and a Dressing Down of the Federal Reserve
Two thirds of American workers are now living paycheck to paycheck.And job prospects are the lowest in at least 12 years.Kellogg’s has had a long history and the company split into two separate businesses a coupl...
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50:45
Post 334: Coffee, Airlines, and Lululemon: Signals of Strain
Tariffs are sending coffee prices soaring.A tax for American consumers with no benefit.Delta Airlines passenger revenue growth has been grinder lower for the last couple of years and is now flat:And now f...
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45:39
Post 333: From Heinz to Smucker: Prices Up, Demand Down, Spin Up
We start by taking a look back at Heinz.And two decisions that ended their long-term relationship with McDonald’s.Healthcare costs for Canadian boomers are being subsidised by the next generation.As well ...
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42:41
Post 332: Kraft Heinz Splits, Canada Drowns in Debt, Jobs Scarce — and Central Banks Sparked the Housing Crisis
After seven straight quarters of sales declines, and fourteen quarters of declining volume, Kraft Heinz has announced that they will split up the company.The merger of the two companies back in 2016 has been a disaster.And...
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44:49