Connecting the Dots

The US economy is growing but corporate profits are not, according to data released last week. That’s disappointing for stockholders.

Our endless drive for more money, more stuff, and just generally “more” has turned into a vicious cycle of materialism.

Financial markets move when humans (or machines programmed by them) decide to buy or sell. In theory, these decisions are rational, but in reality, they’re often driven by emotions.

This month, my wife and I drove from Austin to Memphis. Going across Arkansas on I-30 and I-40, the number of trucks seemed quite high.

You’ve heard the old line about three kinds of falsehoods: lies, damned lies, and statistics. All three are easy to find on the Internet.

Those who support free-market economics say it is the best, most efficient path to maximum prosperity for everyone.

The funny thing about breakthrough technologies is that we rarely see the break. They tend to sneak up on us. Every now and then, something revolutionary comes out of nowhere, like the iPhone in 2007, but it still took a few more years to take off.

Economics is the study of people’s rational choices when they’re faced with scarcity and uncertainty.

International trade policy shouldn’t be headline news. We just need stability, so everyone can conduct business—but that’s not where we are.

You may have noticed stocks have stopped going straight up. By itself, that’s not scary. Bull markets and high volatility can coexist, and often did until the last few years.

“Fake news” has become a buzzword, especially connected to social media. Which becomes even more worrisome in light of the recent scandal about Facebook’s shady data-sharing and advertising practices.

When you have a major problem, you consult an expert—at least, that’s the idea. But in recent years, we’ve learned the hard way that so-called “experts” don’t always know what they’re talking about.