Blog Profile / Carpe Diem
| URL : | http://mjperry.blogspot.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Business & Finance | |
| Posts on Regator: | 2692 | |
| Posts / Week: | 22.8 | |
| Archived Since: | February 17, 2011 | |
Blog Post Archive
Supreme Court hears arguments today on race based preferences in college admissions
In what will determine the future of race-based college admission policies in the U.S., the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in the affirmative-action case Fisher v. University of Texas. The justices will then decide whether...Show More Summary
New Carpe Diem Site
For new posts please visit Carpe Diem's new home at The American Enterprise Institute.
Major CD Announcement
Dear Carpe Diem Regulars: Over the next several days, there will be some major changes taking place for the Carpe Diem blog. After six years, almost 10,000 posts, and more than 8 million visits and almost 12 million page views using the Blogger platform, Carpe Diem will become a WordPress blog at a new website. Show More Summary
National Home Sales Snapshot from DQ News
Click to enlarge. Today's "National Home Sales Snapshot" from DQ News is displayed above, which has been updated with U.S. home sales during the last 30 days in 98 of the top 100 MSAs (excludes Louisville and Wichita), and covers about two-thirds of all U.S. Show More Summary
Quotation of the Day: The Fallacy of Redistribution
From Thomas Sowell's column today (emphasis mine): The history of the 20th century is full of examples of countries that set out to redistribute wealth and ended up redistributing poverty. The communist nations were a classic example, but by no means the only example. Show More Summary
Wednesday Afternoon Links
1. Markets in everything: WiFi enabled, multi-color, energy efficient LED light bulb that you control with your iPhone. 2. "Patchwriting" is more common than plagiarism, and just as dishonest. I guess that's what happened to me, see recent CD post. Show More Summary
The Year of the "Plow Horse Housing Recovery"
Some key reports today on architecture billings, existing home sales, and new residential construction provide additional evidence that a U.S. housing recovery is underway: 1. Reuters -- "A leading indicator of U.S. construction activity...Show More Summary
Year of the Recovery: August Home Sales Boom
1. Wisconsin home sales increased 20.3% in August, median sales price by 2.9%. 2. Kalamazoo MI housing market shows highest sales volume since 2007, August home sales were up 14%, average sales price by 7.5%. 3. Louisville area home sales up 26% in August over last year, median sales price by 3.7%. Show More Summary
Builder Confidence Index Rises in September to 6-Yr. High, With Largest 12-Month Gain in History
From today’s report from the National Association of Home Builders: September 18, 2012 – Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose for a fifth consecutive month in September to a level of 40 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Show More Summary
Fire: Environmentalist's Way to Thin the Forests
From Terry Anderson's editorial in today's WSJ "Environmental Protection Up in Smoke": Environmental laws since the 1970s require public input into federal land-use decisions including logging on national forests. This has led to lawsuits challenging efforts by the U.S. Show More Summary
Top 10 Most Expensive College Football Tix 2012
From CNBC, based on tickets being sold in the secondary market on StubHub, Ticket Network, eBay, etc. and aggregated by TiqIQ.
Chart of the Day: Housing Affordability Remains High
A recent analysis by Trulia concluded that buying a home today is 45% on average than renting a comparable home, see CD post here. That post generated a lively discussion with about 100 comments, and some questioned some of Trulia'sShow More Summary
2012: The Year of the Housing Recover, Update
DataQuick -- "An estimated 41,280 new and resale houses and condos sold statewide last month, making it the strongest August since 2006. Last month's sales total was up 4.5% from 39,507 in July, and up 9.4% from 37,734 sales in August...Show More Summary
Classic 1978 Milton Friedman Lecture on Trade
In the above 1978 lecture at Kansas State University, Milton Friedman discusses free trade, and explains why trade protection and interference in international trade is so widespread, despite the almost universal condemnation of such measures by the economics profession. Show More Summary
Occupational Licensing Gone Wild
From the Bloomberg article "Why Is It So Hard to Become a Cosmetologist in America?" "The average cosmetologist in the U.S. trains for 372 days before earning a license. The average emergency medical technician spends 33 days in training. Show More Summary
Quotation of the Day: A Tariff Is a TAX on Imports
From Don Boudreaux's open letter to Mitt Romney: Your wish to “label China a currency manipulator” means that you seek a pretext to impose (as your website says) “countervailing duties” on imports from China – which is to say, you seek a pretext for raising taxes on Americans who buy goods and services from China. Show More Summary
Grisly Drug War Fact of the Day
"The American news media continues to report the body count in Mexico’s “War on Drugs” at more than 50,000 dead. But Molly Molloy, a researcher at New Mexico State University, tallies more than 100,000 Mexicans killed to wage a war financed...Show More Summary
Buying a Home Is Now 45% Cheaper Than Renting
Here's another reason that the U.S. housing recovery is real and sustainable - buying a home is now 45% cheaper than renting, according to an analysis done by Truila and reported here by its chief economist Jed Kalko: Methodology: Trulia...Show More Summary
2012: The Year of the Housing Recovery; Exhibit A: The Twin Cities Housing Market is HOT
The chart above provides evidence of the significant recovery going on in the Minneapolis Area real estate market, based on new data for market activity there in August:1. Closed home sales during the month of August in the Twin Cities increased by 12.3% above last year, and by 45.6% above two years ago. Show More Summary
CD Post Re-Write for Montana TV Station?
Read this CD post from last Wednesday on North Dakota oil output in July, and then read this news report posted yesterday by TV station KTVQ in Billings, Montana, and notice these similarities: CD: North Dakota pumped another record amount of crude oil during the month of July at a rate of more than 674,000 barrels per day. Show More Summary