This article from The Robin Report (free to sign up for their daily posts on retail) is about grocery stores. Actually, that’s not quite right. It’s about choice and the fact that we’re getting tired of having to choose among 20 kinds of detergent. Or cat food. Or ketchup. Etc. I find such a shopping
The Downsizing of America: Kraft Heinz’s Breakup Is Just the Beginning Read More »
I believe in the concept of the Federal Reserve being independent. I don’t like the idea of Trump (or any president) trying to control it. At this particular time, I don’t think we need many, if any, interest rate reductions. A six to seven percent mortgage rate is a historical norm. You might consider that
A Little History on Presidents and the Federal Reserve Read More »
Richard Cantillon’s “Essay on the Nature of Trade in General” will resonate with you. He was one of the first guys to make a bunch of money in a bubble. Here’s what he said about the relationship between banks and government. Sound at all familiar? “It is then certain that a bank, in concert with
Harvard Business Review, May 2002. Interestingly enough, trying harder is a problem when the business environment changes because of the tendency to do more of the same thing you’ve always done. Typically, those things are not the right things to do anymore. As I’ve written, this corresponds to my own experience doing turnaround work. You
“Disruptive Change- When Trying Harder is Part of the Problem.” Read More »
Many years ago, I wrote a Market Watch column on branding. I opined that the importance of brands might be declining in the action sports world as products became reliable and similar. My friend and, at that time, editor Sean O’Brien at Transworld thought enough of it to immediate publish it online without telling me.
What About Brands? Read More »
That’s the title of a scroll through presentation by the Financial Times. It shows and discusses the growth, and projected growth, of data centers. Talks about the energy needs and cooling requirements (resulting in more energy needs) and some of the solutions big players are pursuing. Here’s the link. You probably thought, like I did,
Inside the Relentless Race for AI Capacity Read More »
I don’t know what the actual tariff rates will finally turn out to be. The chart shows you that they haven’t been this high in 75 plus years. Economists argue about the impact of the Smoot-Hawley tariffs (19.8%- show in the chart) but it wasn’t good. Tariffs never have an overall positive impact on any
Historical Tariff Rates in the U.S. Read More »
“The current national conversation about manufacturing confuses a reduction in manufacturing jobs with a slowdown in U.S. manufacturing. Period. Once we have properly understood this distinction, unpacked the reality of both, cared to look into the causation of both, and fully analyzed what it all means, we will have a much more effective understanding of the
The Reality of American Manufacturing Read More »
Howard Marks is one of the two founders of Oaktree Capital Management. Oaktree is “…a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments.” If the name sounds familiar it’s because they owned Boardriders (Quiksilver, DC Shoes, Roxy, Billabong, RVCA, Element, Vonzipper) after buying Quik and Billabong after their travails started. Oaktree, as you know,
Balance Sheets and Viruses; A Long Overdue Addition to “What’s Jeff Reading.” Read More »
It was not supposed to be 14 degrees in Seattle. But it was and we needed an extra space heater to try and keep the pipes from freezing. Diane (my wife- 37 years. Starting to look like it might work out) ordered one from Target and had a coupon for same day delivery (the Target
This Can’t Be Happening- An Online Shopping Experience Read More »