Good afternoon. It’s almost Good Friday.
I’m passing along a fairly readable COVID/economic update that speaks to the massive injections of liquidity filtering through the markets, and the latest COVID news.
From the report:
Terminal Terminological Drift? Since the “Global Stay-Home-and/or-Cover-Your-Mouth Index” sounded too awkward, somebody – with a perfectly straight face -- went with the gentler, if Orwellian: “Global Stringency Index.” Kind of rolls off the tongue like… cat hair.
From the report we read:
“Be on guard for charts that suddenly claim the world is much better than it was a year ago – they are correct, but they no longer provide as much insight into economic normalization efforts.” In other words, measuring against the dippiest dip in the history of dipitity, is slick shtick, and statistical trickery.
Also this: “…home prices simply cannot (continue to) rise at 4% per month for very long.” As nobody predicted, the pandemic pushed housing prices up notably last year. Prices for everything rise when money is cheap – and half the country now has an in-home office and a freshly renovated basement.
More here from RBC Economics: MacroMemo - March 30 – April 5, 2021
This is also quite good: Jim Allworth and Mark Bayko, of our Global Portfolio Advisory Committee, discuss concerns such as inflation, rising bond yields, and stock valuations Listen here (25 mins)
US CDC Death Stats: That’s a morbid title, but these stats show COVID well back in 3rd place behind cancer and heart disease as causes of death in 2020. Provisional Mortality Data — United States, 2020
And on a much lighter note, take a look at this chart!
From this we conclude… actually nothing, at least not until we consider this!
See what I mean? (Nothing, other than maybe… Smile!).
Sum-body said: There are only two types of people in this world -- those who categorize the earth’s population into two groups, and those who don’t. Hey wait…
In Sum: It’s been a weird year to be sure. I know some who have been suffering terribly with the loss of loved ones, others who are very lonely, and others who are doing just fine surrounded by loved ones in our slowed-down shook-up snowglobe. We’re all waiting for the flecks to settle, and I’m sure I’m not alone looking forward to the relief the summer promises.
Meanwhile, enjoy your Easter Weekend!
Mark