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Dave H's avatar

GS says "And weak consumer spending in January was likely driven by cold weather," - that seems like motivated reasoning to me. People who live in cold areas don't change their habits because its cold - its always cold in the winter and we don't take it personally. They might delay shopping for a day if there is a blizzard. Also online shopping is always warm.

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Gerard MacDonell's avatar

Such thoughts would never have occurred to people saying that consumption was probably depressed by unusually cold winter weather.

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WinstonSmithLondonOceania's avatar

Which implies that they live in warm climates.

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Gerard MacDonell's avatar

For more information, why not contact the Canadian Wildlife Service?

The audience for my joke is Canadians over the age of 50. Sorry if it falls flat.

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WinstonSmithLondonOceania's avatar

Ohhhh, I see. I didn't know you're in Canada. I'm all the way down here in NYC where it's never cold - at least by your standards. We might get a chilly day or two in the upper teens, but only when the polar vortex pays us a visit. We never dip into negative territory. Oh, and that's in Fahrenheit.

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Gerard MacDonell's avatar

Westport CT, but grew up in Canuckistan

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WinstonSmithLondonOceania's avatar

As you might have guessed, I'm not right winger, so I've never heard that reference before. I had to look it up. Apparently it originates with Pat Buchanan - a man I've always had a deep loathing for.

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Pat Tuz's avatar

On jobs….do federal layoffs not count towards job losses that accompany recession? We will see what comes.

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Rima Regas's avatar

Lots of recession talk in my news curation post this morning. It follows lots of news of corporate downsizing and bankruptcies over the past weeks. Of course, what Trump is destroying isn't helping. Then, there are those outside the US who have been Trump-proofing themselves out of self-preservation. They are bound to have some effect.

My question for you, Jared, with the destruction of all the good tools government has offered, how will we get reliable data from here on out?

--

My daily news post:

Things Musk (and Trump) Did... Day 45 | Blog#42

The revenge tour is just getting started...

https://rimaregasblog42.substack.com/p/things-musk-and-trump-did-day-44-5fb

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WinstonSmithLondonOceania's avatar

We won't get any reliable data. That's the whole idea. The less data available, the easier it is to sow FUD.

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Partha's avatar

If we don't have a recession, it won't be because Trump and his minions are not trying.

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WinstonSmithLondonOceania's avatar

I'm sitting here, gripping my chair arms, with white knuckles. For some strange reason, reading this didn't loosen my grip. No matter what happens by the next quarter, it's not going to be pleasant. To say the least.

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Patricia Blank's avatar

Sooooo...you're saying that the so-called leadership will see the error of their ways and turn this battered battleship around? BTW I'm out of the market for now

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Ira Stoll's avatar

Good use of ‘Mishegas”. Are we almost at “bad news is good news” if it gives Fed an employment reason to cut rates? Or is the inflation risk too high?

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