Consumer Attitudes Dip
By either of the two main gauges, consumer attitudes declined in May. The difference in the two surveys is that the University of Michigan is showing a downward trend over the last year and a …
My Nano Niche, Chris’s Long Tail
I recently wrote about nano niches. I’ve just read Chris Anderson’s article, "The Long Tail" in Wired. We’re talking about the same concept, though I think that I came up with a cooler name. His …
I.T. and Business Strategy
Interesting discussion of conflicts between IT and business strategists by Christopher Koch at http://blogs.cio.com/node/310. It’s kind of geeky, so be warned. However, there was an excellent comment made by Robin Harris (StorageMojo.com): "IT isn’t the …
Is There a Value to Energy Independence?
Would energy independence protect us from higher gasoline prices? Before we embark on a huge national energy conservation program, or a huge subsidy to drilling, let’s look at some economics and some facts. If gasoline …
Resource on China
If China is part of your business thinking, check out China Law Blog. Not entirely devoted to law.Nice understanding that 1) we need simplification to help us understand things, but2) China is a large, complex …
Corporate Profits Up Nicely
Corporate profits shot up 40% (annualized growth) in the first quarter, compared to the fourth quarter of 2005. The 4-quarter growth is a strong 25%. Looks nice (unless you’re a socialist). Apparently, rising costs from …
Home Sales Up or Down? Yes
If you’re not comfortable looking at conflicting data, go study Mideast politics or something else that’s simple. The government tells us that new home sales are up last month, but just partially recovering from a …
Nano Niches
How small can a niche be? Amazon.com has announced a new Print-on-Demand (POD) service which will run off a single copy of a book. A customer clicks to purchase the book on Amazon, then Amazon’s …
What Kind of Stock Trader Are You?
People are different. Some are thrill seekers, behavior which shows up in a psychological profile, as well as a driving record. Turns out that it also shows up in a brokerage statement. People who are …
Great Story
This is not economics or business strategy, but it’s a great story: "Here’s Looking at You, Kidney." The author, Virginia Postrel, is a writer and former editor of Reason Magazine. Her book, The Future and …
Shopping at Nordstrom & Costco
"Knowledge at Wharton" has a great interview with Michael J. Silverstein, author of Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the New Consumer. Silverstein sees people spending more money on some favorite luxury goods, but they …
Nice Numbers on Inflation & Production
Producer price inflation is surprisingly mild when excluding food and energy. There has been very little "bleed-through" of energy costs into non-energy products. The crucial question is still what will happen to oil prices. Housing …