Another big day for stocks. The major indexes rose 3% for the week thanks to the fed’s pledge to not raise interest rates, even as the fundamentals of the economy remain sound. Since early 2014 or so, the news cycle has become so moribund that the media has to invent scandal and outrage where none… Continue reading The Daily View: Stocks Surge, Hillary, Religion, Paul Tudor Jones
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Stocks & Bonds Surge – The 1% Wins Again
Stocks surge, bond yields crash, and the 1% wins again as the fed vows to never raise rates. Today’s Scorecard: Dow +200 Nasdaq +40 S&P 500 +26 Here’s what happens when you bet against America, free markets, web 2.0, high-IQ, the fed, the consumer, globalization, smart policy markets, and the best and the brightest. It’s… Continue reading Stocks & Bonds Surge – The 1% Wins Again
IQ: More Than Just a Number, Part 2
Part 1: IQ: More than Just a Number From Scott’s Blog: 3. Some people seem to have gotten genuinely upset about some of the recent discussion of IQ, on grounds something like that if high IQ is a necessary ingredient of some forms of academic success and they’re lower-IQ than other people, then they are… Continue reading IQ: More Than Just a Number, Part 2
Anti-Democracy, Part 4
You know it’s a slow news day when the big story is Clinton’s drinking habits. The only people who are getting worked up about Hillary’s overblown email problem and Russia are the people whose paychecks depend on manufacturing hype and outrage for clicks and page-views. The doom and gloom media was hoping Putin was dead,… Continue reading Anti-Democracy, Part 4
The Success of Fed policy
An example of effective, but hated policy is QE and TARP, as part of the umbrella of fed policy. Liberals such as Peter Schiff and Nassim Nicholas Taleb argue that the fed has made the financial system more prone to collapse, recession, and bear markets. Reality, in contrast to doom and gloom, paints a different… Continue reading The Success of Fed policy
Terry Pratchett, IQ, Practice, and Mastery
Prolific fantasy author Terry Pratchett, who recently died of early-onset Alzheimer’s, inspired many wannabe fiction authors. But unless you’re a genius (as measured by raw intellect, not the vague label of ‘genius’ ascribed to people who demonstrate ‘skill’ at some subjective/useless activity like finger painting), better stick to writing non-fiction, or anything that isn’t too… Continue reading Terry Pratchett, IQ, Practice, and Mastery
In Today’s Economy, It Pays to Know Math
In our post-2008 era of intellectualism, not only is being a math geek cool, it also pays a lot, too. And math is where the jobs are. The Labor Department estimates that mathematical science jobs will increase 26% from 2012 to 2022, more than double the 11% growth for all occupations. The median annual wage… Continue reading In Today’s Economy, It Pays to Know Math
Using Cognitive Screening to Replace Costly Diplomas
Someone writes: The Ivy League aristocracy will continue to perpetuate itself till the end of time unless hiring managers in high-paying industries stop recruiting solely from the “top schools.” And until that happens, online education will never get the respect that it (genuinely) deserves, nor will offline tier-2 or tier-3 schools – or their graduates.… Continue reading Using Cognitive Screening to Replace Costly Diplomas
Holding the Left Accountable for Being Wrong All the Time
Agree: Telling me we're in a bubble is an unfalsifiable statement. — Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans) March 5, 2015 And also agree: 'A billion dollar company must be over-valued' is the new 'a $100 share price means the company's worth more than one priced at $10'. Um, no — Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans) March 5, 2015 The… Continue reading Holding the Left Accountable for Being Wrong All the Time
IQ: More than Just a Number
This post isn’t topical, but it’s been sitting in my draft folder for awhile, so I may well publish it. It isn’t a stretch to saw we’re in a slow news cycle, with the usual Hilary and Ferguson headlines. The Obamacare subsidy Supreme Court decision won’t be announced until June (!), despite the justices having… Continue reading IQ: More than Just a Number