CPI: Core Inflation remained subdued in March, despite a 0.5% rise in headline rate = Energy Drives Prices Higher In March

[mEDITate-OR:

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Core Inflation remained subdued in March
despite a 0.5% rise in headline rate
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1022104.shtml
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Energy Drives Prices Higher In March
But Core Inflation Contained
http://www.rttnews.com/Content/AllEconomicNews.aspx?Node=B2&Id=1598977
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Consumer Price Index rises again in March
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=184974
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CPI Inflation Report And A 25-Year Perspective
http://www.dailymarkets.com/economy/2011/04/15/cpi-inflation-report-and-a-25-year-perspective/
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PPI: March wholesale price increases ease, but no long-term reprieve in sight + Rise Less Than Expected Amid Lower Food Costs

[mEDITate-OR:
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U.S. Producer Prices Rise Less Than Expected Amid Lower Food Costs
http://www.rttnews.com/Content/USEconomicNews.aspx?Id=1598138&SM=1
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March wholesale price increases ease, but no long-term reprieve in sight
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=184895
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Conspicuous Correlation: Retail Sales March 2011

[mEDITate-OR:
assume that what they tell U.S. you see is what you should see...
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In the post below, you will see the usual "retail sales" type of reports, amplified by some of the better analyses. What Sold on Top provided U.S. this month is a stunning new, very different view.
And, Sold's exceptional explanations.
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Discretionary retail sales including home furnishings, home garden and building materials, consumer electronics and department store sales increased a notable 1.51% from February climbing 1.98% above the level seen in March 2010 while, adjusting for inflation, “real” discretionary retail sales actually declined 0.71% over the same period.

On a “nominal” basis, there had appeared to be “rough correlation” between strong home value appreciation and strong retail spending preceding the housing bust and an even stronger correlation when home values started to decline.
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The following chart shows the year-over-year change to nominal discretionary retail sales and the year-over-year change to nominal the S&P/Case-Shiller Composite home price index since 1993 and since 2000.

As you can see there is, at the very least, a coincidental change to home values and consumer spending during the boom and then the bust, but as home values have continued to decline, retail spending has remained low but has not continued to consistently contract.

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the “rough correlation” between the year-over-year change to the “discretionary” retail sales series and the year-over-year S&P/Case-Shiller Composite series seems now even more significant.

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Conspicuous Correlation: Retail Sales March 2011
http://paper-money.blogspot.com/2011/04/conspicuous-correlation-retail-sales.html
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Retail Sales in Mar - Gasoline and Food Drive Up + Conspicuous Correlation: Retail Sales March 2011

[mEDITate-OR:
confuse apples with oranges...
and all retail sales with some retail sales...
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What almost all media reports do not do is separate fuel from other retail sales. However, as you will see below both Danial@Atlantic and Bill@CR do that for U.S.
What Daniel and oddly FinnFacts also do is provide U.S. with sector data.
This is important.
Notice the HUGE change in "auto sales" in the chart and the 4th chart.
Not only are auto sales up, a lot, since last year...
but they dropped like a rock last month.
Due to the price of gas, do you think?
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In the post below, you will also see that most of the increase in consumer credit use is based upon "auto and truck sales".
So, while it WAS driving the economy - no pun intended...
it might have just stopped, @ the light behind the sign for your gas prices.
Where are we really heading..., and how are we going to get there
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Retail Sales in Mar - Gasoline and Food Drive Up
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/04/gasoline-and-food-drive-up-retail-sales-in-march/237242/
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US retail sales increased of 0.4% in March
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1022077.shtml
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Retail Sales increased 0.4% in March
http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2011/04/retail-sales-increased-04-in-march.html
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RealtyTrac: Foreclosure Activity Decreases 15 Percent in Q1 2011 + Processing Delays Drop Foreclosure Activity to Lowest Total Since Q1 2008

[mEDITate-OR:
think that "location" is where you are..., not where you are going
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This month RealtyTrac has provided U.S. with a very interesting view of the dynamics of the foreclosure problem. While it is true that foreclosures are down, what RT tells U.S. is that is only due to the robo-signing problems delaying the "incoming" properties.
What we are also seeing is that the problem is spreading out, in the West to Idaho, Utah, Colorado and to a slightly less extend to Washington and Oregon.
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Below are the interesting maps of AZ, WA and OR.
Note that Penal County includes huge subdivisions South East of Phoenix AND Tucson.
Note also that "The problem with foreclosures" is much worse where there are more people.
But, the most central part of the metro areas are also not as bad as the surrounding suburbs.
That may be bcuz central condo numbers are NOT included in these stats n maps - maybe!
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Go to the RealtyTrac news release and look at the national state and city tables.
You will see that the West Coast and the Rocky Mountain states are MUCH worse off than most of the rest of U.S.
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High  Low
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With one in every 48 housing units with a foreclosure filing, the Phoenix metro area ranked No. 4 and was one of two Arizona metro areas in the top 20.
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RealtyTrac: Foreclosure Activity Decreases 15 Percent in Q1 2011
Processing Delays Drop Foreclosure Activity to Lowest Total Since Q1 2008
http://www.realtytrac.com/content/press-releases/foreclosure-activity-decreases-15-percent-in-q1-2011-6521
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Expert: U.S. should 'give up on the dollar'

[mEDITate-OR:
pretend that since the DOW is way up...
we are all much more wealthy than we were..., once upon a time.
and ignore the price of gasoline and food
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If you read the CNN article, you will notice that while the EURO has been attacked from within by problems of  the PIIGS, not only this year, but for the past 12 months, the EURO has increased in value against U.S.
What is also shown below is that both the Canadian and Australian dollars have also risen, substantially, against U.S.
What you will also see below is that ALL of the gains you made in the DOW and the SnP500, were matched by the decline in the worth of the U.S. dollar.
What SHOULD surprise you is that Germany, Canada, Australia have ALL maintained surpluses in their balance of trade AND increased their exports - in spite of the increased value of their dollars.
THEY are competitive. We are not. Ask yourself Why?
Bcuz of the Japanese nuclear power problems, Germany and China are reducing their plans for further expansion; and they have announced they will need to increase their use of crude oil.
Bcuz of the miss-handling of the Libyan crisis, the price of gas has, and WILL, continue to increase.
Not only did the last tax cut given to you by the Federal Govt get eaten up by increased fuel cost, but as those costs continue to increase, you will have to shift your money around to cover it, without tax refunds.
It could get a lot uglier. Soon.
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Expert: U.S. should 'give up on the dollar'

http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/15/markets/dollar/index.htm

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How Bleak Does the U.S. Job Market Look?

[mEDITate-OR:
be wowed by the announced huge increase in job openings...
OR
read Daniel@Atlantic's thoughts, look at his chart
and read his article.
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The yellow line represents the number of Americans "officially" unemployed, according to BLS. But the red line shows those jobless Americans plus number of people who BLS says want a job, but don't technically qualified as being unemployed, due to reasons such as discouragement. While the gap between the yellow line and green line (openings) looks bad, if you consider the red line, it looks much worse. In February, 6.5 people wanted a job for every opening.
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How Bleak Does the U.S. Job Market Look?
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/04/how-bleak-does-the-us-job-market-look/237252/
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US jobs market improves moderately VS 36% of workers in new jobs took pay cut of 20% or more + Downturn's Ugly Trademark: Steep, Lasting Drop in Wages

[mEDITate-OR:
think that we are almost back to normal...
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This is from FinFacts...
Notice the difference between W and WJClinton
Average job creation under W = 208K
Average job creation under WJC = 321K
merely 50% higher.
However, note the difference getting out of the hole we are in:
If we grow like under W, it will not be until 2023
If we grow like under  WJC, it will be only 2016.
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However, IF we really put our minds and hearts into it...
and grew by our best month = 472K jobs
we could get back to normal in less than three years.
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If you voted for change...
you did not get it.
And, neither does he.
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Then there is this from the WSJ
see the next three charts.
we are NOT better off, and not getting there, either.
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US jobs market improves moderately
36% of workers in new jobs took pay cut of 20% or more
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1021990.shtml
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Downturn's Ugly Trademark: Steep, Lasting Drop in Wages
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304248704575574213897770830.html#project%3DUNEMP_BY_OCCUPATION_IPAD_1101%26articleTabs%3Darticle
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