Happy Friday from a very wet Seattle.
The city had about one inch of rain today, with windy weather and more on the way tomorrow. We also had the last 6 pm sunset for the year (but we could not see the sun at all today 😉).
The three US stock market indexes are again at a record high, even though it’s still October (many years past, a volatile time for the markets).
I do not understand why this is the case.
From what I glean on YouTube and elsewhere, lots of other bad numbers are also at a record high (or close to it, compared to the last 10 years or so): the gold price, bitcoin, credit card debt, student loan debt, the US national debt, mortgage rates.
The US government has now been shut down for 25 days. Hello?
Uncertainly over tariffs with America’s largest trading partners (China, Canada) drags on, unresolved.
About 1.9 million Americans have been looking for employment for 27 weeks or longer now— and we’re told that AI is soon going to kill millions of entry-level jobs for humans.
The Sep. 2025 inflation number that came out today (3%) is actually the highest since January.
At 3%, inflation is actually the highest it has been since January. What also gets lost in a headline of ‘cool inflation’ that is that nothing is cheaper (of course) —and some staple items are up by a LOT more, depending where you are and where you shop (orange juice 10%, coffee 19%, beef 7%, pet food 8%).