Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Industrial Production, Unimportant Unitil It Is

Industrial Production supposedly increased a modest as expected but below the headline, factory output was way off.  A one month reversal from +0.3% to -0.4% is no big deal unless it continues.  Bears watching closely. 

The chart is equally worrisome.  One of those is wrong. 

I wish Dawg would stop messing with the garden. 

35 comments:

Rob Dawg said...

Locally, real rain. Only tenths but enough to wet everything. Uncommon and welcome. I have yet to turn on any watering systems. Next rain prolly not until September. My lizards will love this. Okay, they are not 'my' lizards but my responsibility. Wondering when our California King Snakes reassert their domain.

On topic. Making "stuff" is still important. Globalization is disruptive but does not change the formulae. Make "stuff" better/cheaper and win. The latest challenge is to make sure the makers are the beneficiaries of the making and not the stupid idiots who innovate only to have their innovation snaked by exploiters.

Lawyerliz said...

Yep.

Lawyerliz said...

You are into saving lizards? Don't your catz eat 'em?

Rob Dawg said...

Harold the Norwegian Forest Cat was the culprit. We miss him but the latest generation of lizards have been allowed to grow up with tails since he passed. The two cats (Gordy & Rusty) now are about the hunt and not the trophy. The two passing kittehs (Bubba & Colin) are not around enough to be relevant.

Gordy was funny. The youngest kid saw Gordy acting funny on the patio. Turns out she was playing with a lizard and was sitting on it/hiding it to look innocent.

Lawyerliz said...

The tails grow back, anyway

Rob Dawg said...

The lizard tails grow back. The high quality manufacturing long tails do not. Corporate deals to outsource rarely end up being anything other than lowest common denominator.

Lawyerliz said...

What an analogy!

Cinco-X said...

Unitil sucks... Left me without power for 14 days back in '08

Lawyerliz said...

Catz like boxes
They even like square boxes tapes to cuddle up on the floor in. Flatland boxes. Some the prize why. They ha v e too much time on their hands
.

Lawyerliz said...

Some theorize why.

Cinco-X said...

Kids too...

Lawyerliz said...

Yep. My son had a refrigerator box he loved.

Rob Dawg said...

> They even like square boxes tapes to cuddle up on the floor in. Flatland boxes. Some the prize why. They ha v e too much time on their hands
.


My vote for post of the month.

All Internet eventually turns to our masters; the kittehz.

Exurban Nation sails alongside the national economy only getting serious when enough data indicates a trend or change. I went quiet for a long time. I am posting again for the same reasons.

I don't care about Tesla. I own and am losing with Ford. Neither makes sense to me and both mean I am an idiot. For now.

Lawyerliz said...

Ummmm. Is this a good trend or a bad trend?

LBD said...

I to am a member of the idiot investors club. Seeing traditional businesses that produce products keeping the world moving everyday valued poorly and pie in the sky amusement businesses worth insane money. Tesla runs on tomorrows promise but doesn't seem to refine one vehicle. Now he is going after the Semi truck biz, seems more like a scam to me. At least he is producing a needed product with more then one customer in the chain. Cars resell to all levels of economic owners till they reside in the recycle pile. Value for all and not like the one shot service business. World seems real screwed up or I am just getting old. ;)

Lawyerliz said...

Both, I think

Lawyerliz said...

Trump daughter in conflict of interest situation with China.

LBD said...

Good Morning!

Maybe a little rain and then clear day ahead.

LBD said...

Bit of a whiplash market going on lately, tying to find sense of direction. VZ is getting interesting.

Cinco-X said...

Morning... Now off to work

Lawyerliz said...

Yield up on the t bill. Did a little chopping, in spite of feeling lousy.

Lawyerliz said...

I rather liked T's position on South Korea s deficit with us. It's a big %age of the total deficit. Why be mad only with China if halving Korea's deficit would take it down quite a lot?

Lawyerliz said...

Hey do I have to find another blog to get some conversation going?

LBD said...

I guess insulting is more important then discussion. GM owns Daweoo. They sold Opel and that leaves the door open for more cars from S Korea and China, so I don't see any positive change coming in that area.

Rob Dawg said...

Trump is appropriately big picture. Past Presidents were too deep down in the uhhh, er, weeds. We need a smaller trade deficit. Big problem. Start by trimming the branches and work up to the bigger parts. Git'r'done and get back to me with results. Same with Iran. Bad nuke deal but they are complying so not the time to force new terms.

LBD said...

Nice to see leadership and the effects of a new direction.

dodahman said...

Good morning all. Re: mfg, and back to coffee filter discussion from a while back. Rob, I ordered a SS and plastic 'gold' filter yesterday. $4 bucks delivered no amazon prime. Could there possibly be a profit there? mighty thin if any.

Cats and boxes: We have a box that a compressor came in many Christmas's ago. It comes out 2-3 times a year when the cat 'needs' it. Always hits the spot...

Rob Dawg said...

Nice to see leadership and the effects of a new direction.
Why, thank you. Oh wait... you weren't talking about me. ;)

Lawyerliz said...

How do you know when the cart needs it, or is that too grim to mention? S Korea has about a 20 b $ trade deficit. I think it was 44b last time. So cut it in half, and Down 25%. Cut China's say 15b and you are down about to about 20. Not so bad. Who else is limiting trade? This really is doable. I alway did agree with T on trade. Almost everything else, not. And I still think he is crude and crazy and his daughter is really in violation of the law.

Lawyerliz said...

And thanks for the discussion.

Rob Dawg said...

Nice catboat dodah.

Be sure to give us a review of the mesh filter. I prefer them. And yes there's no margin in retail anymore. Finished playing with Kohl's (KSS) and got out with a small profit.

LBD said...

Maybe I was talking about you. :0

dodahman said...

I will do on the filter.

Thanks. The boat is more than likely, the nicest 'thing' I have or ever will own, a Roger Crawford built melonseed. Quite a splurge some years back. I continue to be thankful I was able to do so.

Cinco-X said...

Ugh... Today is meeting day 😫

Rob Dawg said...

Weekly meetings I always opened with "All things considered everything under the circumstances are going as well as can be expected." Became a running joke.