Global Economy Bursting?

[Terrel L. Shields]

Nobody went to jail over "the Big Ditch" in Boston did they?....but that's Boston. The taxpayers of Boston expected to be screwed. Alabaman's expected at least a modicum of honesty.

 

[Randolph Kinney]

Bureau of Labor Statistics has new data on the job market and the lack of recovery. Very interesting reading. January 2004 to June 2007, establishments with 10 to 249 employees generated about 135 million new hires. From July 2007 to December 2010, those businesses generated about 107 million new hires.

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/113307/job-growth-stalls-new-businesses-fail...

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Locally, we have had several plants close in the past 4 years. And many of the smaller outfits that grew fast in the 1990s sold out to larger ones - Black & Decker bought one such plant out a few years ago, then closed it. Miracle of miracles, we at least got someone else to buy it but a lot of people lost jobs.

The poultry firms have cut back. WalMart continues to squeeze out grocery stores with the new express stores, chain auto parts stores have pretty much wiped out the independents, ditto for farm supply stores...

Cabela's is coming to town...some good news at least

 

[William K]

Locally, we have had several plants close in the past 4 years. And many of the smaller outfits that grew fast in the 1990s sold out to larger ones - Black & Decker bought one such plant out a few years ago, then closed it. Miracle of miracles, we at least got someone else to buy it but a lot of people lost jobs.

The poultry firms have cut back. WalMart continues to squeeze out grocery stores with the new express stores, chain auto parts stores have pretty much wiped out the independents, ditto for farm supply stores...

Cabela's is coming to town...some good news at least

Tell that to the Mom and Pop Fishing and Gun shops within an hour drive time.

 

[Restrain]

Around here, the mom and pop gun shops, etc had all disappeared long before the arrival of Cabela's and Bass Pro. Gun sales had been pretty much relegated to pawn shops, and the "sporting goods" shops had pretty much gone to exercise clothes and golf clubs

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Tell that to the Mom and Pop Fishing and Gun shops within an hour drive time

Not many of them, but we already have had Outdoor Warehouse go under, Academy Sports isn't serious enough, and nobody is hurting Ozark Armory...even the gun show coming to town only seems to pack the place out more. And yep, not many M & P shops of any kind left around here. Also, have A. G. Russel Knives handy as well as a number of small knifemakers. My best friend and .45-70 shooting buddy is a leathersmith/saddle maker - his knife case is in one of the pix on this site. Krein has a family of house builders...he liked knives instead.

 

[Couch Potato]

Tell that to the Mom and Pop Fishing and Gun shops within an hour drive time.

In the Internet age the mom and pop shops compete with the big box stores even when they are not local. My favorite local shop Mace Sports is doing just fine even with Bass Pro and Gander Mountain in the area. The key is offering a high level of personal service and smart management.

 

[Randolph Kinney]

Tax the super-rich or riots will rage in 2012

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ta...tion-will-rage-in-2012-2011-08-16?siteid=nbkh

 

[Randolph Kinney]

Smallest Yield Gap in 19 Years Adds to Yen Struggle for BOJ

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...dds-to-yen-struggle-for-boj-japan-credit.html

The shrinking yield gap between two-year sovereigns and Treasuries makes it hard to manipulate the yen. There's a “relatively high” correlation between that rate gap and the dollar-yen rate. Japan is committed to quantitative easing but how low can yields go?

 

[Randolph Kinney]

Special interests gave millions to budget panel

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/w...cial_interests_gave_millions_to_budget_panel/

The 12 lawmakers appointed to a new congressional supercommittee charged with tackling the nation's fiscal problems have received millions in contributions from special interests with a direct stake in potential cuts to federal programs, an Associated Press analysis of federal campaign data has found.