Economy

Ohio job creation revised up for each of the last four years. Sounds like somebody changed how the numbers were calculated to make them look better.

Peter Schiff exposes the claim that winter weather dampened our economy and the recent job numbers.

"First it was lackluster retail sales that were chalked up to consumers being unable or unwilling to make it to the mall. (This managed to ignore the fact that online sales were similarly week – which would be unexpected for a nation of snowed in consumers). Then came the weak auto sales that were ascribed to similarly holed up potential car buyers. However, this ignores that while GM and Chrysler sales were way down, sales for luxury cars like BMW, Mercedes and Maserati, surged to record high levels (more on that later). No one offered a reason why wealthier motorists were able to brave the cold. A number of other data points, such as lower GDP, productivity, ISM and factory orders were also ascribed to the elements."

It's just a bad economy.

"Analysts also blamed the weather for weak housing sales and mortgage applications, which both hit multi-year lows. The idea being that hibernating buyers could not get to real estate open houses or to the bank to process loans. This idea ignores the fact that the weakest home sales over the last few months have come from the states west of the Rockies, where temperatures have been above average."

Bad economy.

"But the sad fact is that QE can push up prices in stocks and real estate, but can do very little to affect positive change in the real economy. That’s why I believe that BMW’s are selling like hotcakes even as Chevies sit on the lot. Our current policies help the wealthy at the expense of everybody else. Unfortunately, I don’t think the economy will improve as long as the QE keeps us locked into a failing model. What’s worse, once the weather warms and the economy does not, look for Janet Yellen to first taper the taper, then to reverse the process completely."

Thanks, Fed.