Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis |
Posted: 07 Oct 2012 06:21 PM PDT German chancellor Angela Merkel is visiting Greece this week in an alleged show of solidarity. Reuters notes it will take 6,000 police to protect her. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will tell Greeks she wants to keep their country in the euro when she visits Athens this week, but she faces a hostile reception from a people worn down by years of austerity and recession.Solidarity? Really? Is Merkel's visit really a show of solidarity? Solidarity between whom? Between politicians conspiring to screw Greeks for the benefit of banks? Merkel Arrival in Athens to Be Met by Anti-Austerity Protesters Bloomberg reports Merkel Arrival in Athens to Be Met by Anti-Austerity Protesters "Mr. Samaras said we should welcome Mrs. Merkel as she deserves," said Alexis Tsipras, the head of Syriza party, which finished second in the June elections and has urged workers, the unemployed and young people, to join the rallies. "We completely agree."Very Risky Maneuver Samaras says Greece needs time and money. He fails to mention that Greece also needs a mountain of reforms and an exit from the eurozone. Greece has no chance of recovery as long as it is subject to the whims of the Troika. The trip is a very risky maneuver by Merkel, and it is not about solidarity, at least with the average citizen of Greece. By now it should be perfectly clear that Merkel does not give a rat's ass about Greece or Greek citizens. Rather, Merkel's sole concern is in regards to preservation of her legacy. If the trip blows up in her face, it is exactly what she deserves. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Posted: 07 Oct 2012 11:16 AM PDT On Friday, I lost a bet made in March of 2010 regarding unemployment. I bet that the unemployment rate would not dip below 8% before June 2015. I crunched numbers many ways and simply decided there is no way the economy could possibly grow enough jobs. It didn't and still won't. I posted this chart at the time. Monthly Job Growth 1999-2009 At the height of the housing bubble, the economy only added 212,000 jobs a month. I figured we would not come close to that, yet even if we did, that still would not be enough. A miscalculation got into my way, otherwise known as a plunge in the participation rate. I knew full well the participation rate would drop on account of boomer demographics. But I never expected the plunge we got. Were it not for millions dropping out of the labor force, the unemployment rate, even with the September barrage in part-time jobs would still be over 10%. Had I made a similar bet on employment, rather than unemployment, the bet would still be going on. Interestingly, that bet would not have seemed as good to me at the time because the economy is naturally growing and employment with it. Total Nonfarm Employment Employment Just About at June 2005 Level As you can see, employment has only recovered to a level seen in 2005. That is in spite of the fact the worker population expands every month (at least in theory). Bernanke thinks it takes 100,000-125,000 jobs a month to keep the unemployment rate steady. I think because of demographics, it probably only takes 75,000 jobs a month. However, at some point in a recovery, the participation rate starts to rise as discouraged workers return to the work force. Accounting for the return of those discouraged workers to the job force, assume it takes 100,000 jobs a month to hold the unemployment rate steady. That amounts to 1.2 million per year and 3.6 million in three years (3.9 million since the recession ended). Month-by-Month Employment Totals (in Thousands)
Number Flashback
Numbers and chart from Fred - St. Louis Fed - PAYEMS. The recession ended in June of 2009, and here we are, over three years into a recovery, with actual employment below where it was in June of 2005. Starting from the end of the recession, and looking to hold the unemployment rate flat since then (assuming 100,000 jobs per month required), employment would need to be at 130.503 million + 3.9 million (a total of 134,403 million). As you can see, we are about 900,000 jobs short! Statistically speaking, the expectation is the unemployment rate should have risen from the level it was at in June 2009. It would have, except for the amazing drop in the participation rate. In terms of employment, I had the right idea but made the wrong bet. Bryan Caplan wins $100. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
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