Will-Corona-Quarantine-Cause-Depression?-Bob Davis Podcast 913

Will Corona Quarantine Cause A Depression?

These days the word depression has begun to appear in the news. Especially relevant? We’re talking about economic depression because business is pretty much shut down. Will the Corona Quarantine Cause Depression? Learn more in Will-Corona-Quarantine-Cause-Depression?-Bob Davis Podcast 913.

Uncharted Waters

We’re in uncharted waters due to the pandemic. No nation has ever brought its economy to full stop in such a short period of time.

Biggest Reduction In Economic Growth Ever

Even more major banks are predicting at least a 25 percent reduction in US output in the first quarter.

Bigger Than The Great Depression

This is unprecedented even in the darkest days of the Great Depression back in the 1930’s.

What’s Done Is Done

While we can ask whether this was a good idea, what’s done is done.

Can We Hit Pause? Or will The Corona Quarantine Cause Depression?

Seems like people think you can ‘hit pause’. Come back in thirty, sixty, ninety or one hundred twenty days. Hit ‘play’ and everything will be fine.

Real Life

But above all, this is real life. Even though it seems like we’re in a movie, we’re not.

We May Not Be Able To Easily Restart

Economies may not start easily once they are shut down. Moreover the central banks have been running very loose monetary policies for years. I’ve done a lot of podcasts about this. The central banks may not have much ammunition left. I’ll tell you what this means in Will-Corona-Quarantine-Cause-Depression?-Bob Davis Podcast 913.

What About Actions Government Has Taken?

As a result of ordered lock downs the government has taken action in the last week or so.

Interest Rates Slashed

The federal reserve slashed interest rates twice. The effective interest rate is now zero.

Another 2 Trillion of Relief On The Way

A 2 trillion dollar relief package is working its way through congress.

One Thousand Dollar Checks

We’re all supposed to get one thousand dollar a month checks as needed.

Why Are They Doing This?

Certainly there’s a reason for all of this. It has to do with what a depression is and what causes it. I’ll explain it in Will-Corona-Quarantine-Cause-Depression?-Bob Davis Podcast 913. Are we there yet? Time will tell.

Making It Better…Or Worse

Finally in the end economists and policy makers will sift through whatever wreckage is left and tell us whether the measures taken now made things better or worse.

Short Deep Recession or Depression

In conclusion whether we have a short and deep recession or a world wide economic disaster known as a depression depends on what our leaders do now.

Out of Our Hands

It sure seems to me like it’s out of our hands.

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Will-Corona-Quarantine-Cause-Depression?-Bob Davis Podcast 913

Economic-Boom-Smoke-And-Mirrors?-Bob Davis Podcast 872

Everyone Gets An Award. So What?

These days we live in a world where everyone gets an award for participation. Every now and then reality intrudes on our blissful paradise. We’ll talk about the 3rd quarter GDP numbers and what they mean in Economic-Boom-Smoke-And-Mirrors?-Bob Davis Podcast 872.

Ballyhoo and BS

We’ve been the victims of economic ballyhoo at least since 2016. Even more for years since the recession of 2008 we’ve been sold all kinds of snake oil. Green Shoots. The Light At The End Of The Tunnel. Priming The Pump. Economic Boom!

GDP Is The Yardstick

Gross Domestic Product is the yardstick by which we measure the economic performance of the world’s countries. This is especially relevant in the United States, where we will choose a new president and congress in 2020.

How Are We Doing?

Economy is one of the yard sticks by which we determine how our leaders ‘are doing’ at their jobs.

Third Quarter

Therefore when the third quarter GDP numbers came out this week, we now have a third data point on which to judge US economic performance in 2019.

Smoke and Mirrors?

How are we doing? We’ll find out in Economic-Boom-Smoke-And-Mirrors?-Bob Davis Podcast 872.

What’s A Boom?

First of all exactly what does an economic ‘boom’ look like and are we really living through one?

What About All The Other Stats?

Second, what about other measurements like employment, government spending, consumer spending and productivity?

Concentrate On Outcomes

I have often described my mission with these podcasts as a quest to concentrate on outcomes and relatively objective analysis of those outcomes.

No Predictions

Above all I avoid predictions. I won’t use superlatives to describe how great or bad things are. I do not want tell listeners what they’re supposed to think or advocate for.

More Questions

In conclusion, these new numbers raise more questions than answers.

In addition, what about inflation, business investment and growth in the future.

Moreover what about intervention by central banks?

I wonder, if there’s an economic boom why do we need so much government spending and interventions to keep it going? What about the enormous spending deficits and public debt?

Meeting Challenges

Finally what are the biggest economic and therefore social challenges ahead. Are we on path to address those challenges?

I don’t hear too much talk about that on the campaign trail, in government and in the media.

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Economic-Boom-Smoke-And-Mirrors?-Bob Davis Podcast 872

 

 

 

Podcast 584-Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show-58

Podcast 584-Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show-58. With the Electoral Vote, Donald J. Trump is the official President Elect of the United States. He’ll be sworn in as the 45th President on Friday, January 20th, 2017. As terrible coverage of the election, post election and the events leading up to the inauguration continues, time to shift the conversation toward the challenges ahead. Podcast 584-Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show-58 my coverage of these challenges.

Last summer I predicted the final outcome of the 2016 election would center on the Great Lakes region of the United States. Ohio, Pennsyvania, Wisconsin, Michigan. The former industrial heartland has been plagued by bad economic and policy initiatives, excessive taxation, corruption and incompetent local governments. It’s not surprising people in these regions would have reached a point where they have had enough.

The new narrative is Donald Trump heralds a new kind of politics in America. Depending on the source, either a darker, jingoistic throwback to the 1950’s, a new kind of Populist-Conservative politics, or a new Centrism. Every politician wants to be thought of as a rail splitter, born in a log cabin. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump come from upper middle class backgrounds. Park Ridge, Illinois and the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, in New York City are hardly breeding grounds for American Populists.

While the tone of the executive branch might change under Trump the fact is moderate, establishment Republicans and moderate Democrats are still in control of the United States Government. How do we expect this group of out-of-touch politicians to address the challenges we face?

Since 2008 the US has had stimulus, banking legislation, the adoption of The Affordable Health Care Act and a change in Foreign Policy. The result is nominal economic growth, with 63 percent of the eligible workforce sidelined. A foreign policy that was supposed to herald a new era of peace and cooperation, didn’t. Despite major changes in technology, trade and comparative advantage the new story line is Manufacturing’s Greatest Days lie ahead. Is this true? Another initiative of the new administration is to force spending of a trillion dollars on ‘infrastructure’. Will this work? Is this a conservative economic policy approach? With only 8 percent of the work force is employed in manufacturing and construction and most of the rest of us are employed in value added services, one wonders.

Whatever the new president wants to do, it will be processed through the US Congress, State Legislatures and the Courts. With plenty of Democrats in congress and state legislatures ready to put up a good fight, we’ll see how much the GOP and Trump can get done. We’ll also see if the policy they end up with will work to address major challenges of the future.

Massive changes are taking place in our society and the world as the Fourth Industrial Revolution takes hold. While it’s good for Trump supporters and Republicans to celebrate, and for Democrats to prepare their opposition, the question is whether any of the leaders in Washington really understand what is needed for the people of the United States to grow our economy, move forward and prevail in the new world. Sponsored by Brush Studio and X Government Cars.