AWOL

Yeah, I know but some of the grandkids came into town last week along with the sons to celebrate my birthday a few days early.  More fun than you can imagine and a laugh a minute.  Funnier than the next batch of Clinton Emails or an FBI investigation.  Of course the best thing about grandkids in comparison with the afore-mentioned diversions is that they go home.  The other two will be with us forever unless the Clinton Monarchy is declared and she lops everybody's head off.  Wait for it.  A disgrace of unimagined proportions.  Then there's The Donald...

Well, the economic picture is looking a bit muddled as we head into the last week of the political campaign.  Inflation appears to be heading up as does the dollar but growth is still lousy.  Interest rates are moving up but the spread between the 10 year and inflation has narrowed considerably since January which means...what?  No conviction anywhere?  As good an explanation as I can come up with but one would think commodities would be lower, but nope, they are hanging in there at admittedly lower levels except for oil which continues its slippage as the realization begins to set in that the producers are simply not going to be able to cut production as all the major players are either engaged in multiple wars or, like Venezuela, so broke due to mismanagement that every drop sold is precious.  Good time for banks, tho.  Watch bank earnings this quarter.  Quiet and stable times, especially on the regulatory front as everybody in D.C. is working out their own private scenarios based on which administration will be ushered in by the election.

Meanwhile, Over There, Mr. Carney has decided to stay on until BREXIT is finalized.  Probably a good thing in the long run provided he can keep a bit more quiet than he has been in the more recent past.  Aside from that bombshell of today Euroland was pretty quiet and will probably remain so for a while.  Asia is quiet as is everywhere else, especially in Chicago where the Cubbies managed to stay alive last night but now it's back to Cleveland facing a tough task.  70 degrees F. tomorrow and the next few days in the Fly Over Zone...in November.  With the fur flying, who needs snow.