The U.S. economy has both good and bad indicators. Longer range indicators are generally good. Housing starts will most likely be lower, along with industrial production. This week is full as far as economic information releases go. See Market Watch economic calendar.
The Fed policy meeting will have some internal struggles as far as interest rates go. The labor market is still slow, but inflation won’t take off. The economy should grow at 3 % in 2010.
An experiment to learn more about the hippocampus has helped develop a new computer program. The hippocampus enables memories to be indexed. Distinct patterns were found by the computer program after brain scans on volunteers were performed. These patterns were the same in the volunteers. This type of research is progressing with notable speed.
Highlights
•It is possible to decode specific episodic memory traces from fMRI activity
•Individual memories can be decoded from fMRI activity in the human hippocampus (HC)
•The HC contains significantly more episodic information than adjacent brain areas
•Episodic information is localized to bilateral anterior and right posterior HC
U.S. retail sales for February are to be reported on Friday the 12th. The big snow strorms in the northeastern United States are the big factor as many communities were completely shut down for as much as two weeks.
Most economists are not worried about the report as it’s most likely factored into the markets already. When a slow February hits, a good March usually follows. The dollar was lower vs. the euro, but higher against other currencies.
The Tea Party movement has been getting much attention and when one goes to “nail down” just what the Tea Party is all about, it gets difficult. Seems they’re all over the map, both geographically and politically. That’s not easy to digest, but the movement is mostly in need of more definition.
The movement has gotten the media attention. The defining moments for the Tea Party has been done on the fly with puzzling results. Take Ron Paul for example. So much for being left on the shelf to collect dust. Recently he has gained more support which lacks a political party foundation. His supporters seen to want it that way. Well and good, however can Paul’s support continue to lift him to the White House? Most likely no, because there is too much fragmentation. Is Paul the candidate to bond that support together and keep it together? I’ll let you answer that.
Republican PAC’s are getting money to the Tea Party movement. This shows that a party structure is waiting on the sidelines to jump right in. That’s fine, however buyer beware. The very core of the movement are form those who are turned off by the political party system and feel it’s time for change. When more party people step in they might get a rude awakening. We’ll have to see what transpires after the Tea Party Tour ends later this spring.
Sara Robinson wrote an interesting article on ourfuture.org that plainly “populist” might be a wrong term to use in describing the Tea Party. When you read it be aware that politics has a tendency to work in orbits that can spin seemingly out of control; if not “tamed” for a forward movement.
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