I was so really busy the last week and a half but am back in gear and hopefully ramping up again. For this week, we took a look at what the latest jobs report really means in terms of the recession’s end. It sounded like good news on the surface, but it’s a diamond in the rough against the backdrop of other economic indicators. It’s also a confirmation of past projections for a “jobless recovery.”

Earlier this week, I wrote about how the recession has ended in the art world when an Andy Warhol silkscreen sold for $43.76 million at a Sotheby’s auction, more than four times the estimate. Even though there was an uptick, I pointed out how a lot of art was left unsold, sales volume was still much lower than past years and millions are still struggling with daily expenses much less think about art buying.

I took a different angle last week for my assessment on when the recession would end with a look at Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s prognosis of the economy. Before Schmidt, I had broken down and analyzed a lot economists’ forecasts. I had taken a look at recession inventions like staycations and cheap treats. For the first time, I selected a perspective of a prominent business leader outside of financial services. 

Schmidt said that the worst of the recession is over, but I say the jury’s still out. The worst of the recession seems to be over for Google, and that is welcome ...read more

For last week’s Recessionwire feature, I wrote a recap of readers’ feedback with regards to when they thought the recession would end. I mentioned that themes of jobs, college tuition, and real estate weren’t surprising to read but that the responses really put human faces to the recession. The challenges we face are so different, and we can all get caught in our own personal struggles and experiences of the highs and lows of the economic downturn. The responses served as reminders that we’re all in it together, whether we like it or not. Might as well try to make lemonade out of lemons.

For last week’s Recessionwire feature, I analyzed the coupon craze in terms of what it means for societal norms going forward. I assess whether clipping coupons would or wouldn’t be part of the new normal and why or why not. In the end, I say that easy cost cutting tricks will be here to stay but the more labor intensive ones will become history. There’s no reason not to continue smart cost cutting habits, especially for things like discount codes that are really easy to find. However, with regards to other practices that take a lot more time and effort to make a difference like clipping ...read more

This was a busy week for me, so I forgot to post my weekly Recessionwire piece on when the recession will end. I wrote on how the end of cheap treats will signal and end to the recession. While we can all appreciate the shift to focusing on quality times with friends and family, etc. versus high-priced living, the new normal will include little luxuries in life. I just noted that hopefully most can be more responsible this time around.  

A while back, I wrote about Jamie Dimon’s epic rise to the top of the financial industry. For my Recessionwire piece this week, I wrote about what he’s doing at the top of the financial industry. In a piece for The Wall Street Journal, he claimed, “No discussion of the future of the financial system can be complete without an acknowledgment of the industry’s responsibility to re-earn the trust of the American people.” I talk about the uphill battle of restoring this trust and what it will take to gain it.

For my weekly feature on Recessionwire this week, I wrote on how hiring at GM will signal the recession’s end. I talk about the automotive job loss hit to our economy, why it’s not really a big deal from a macroeconomic standpoint if GM starts hiring and why it could be a viable sign of the recession’s end.  Details and the final conclusion in my piece.

For my feature in Recessionwire this week, I wrote about how staycations are not as trendy as they may seen with travel actually up for cruise, camping and destination spa vacations.  Additionally, Priceline.com’s latest earnings weren’t that bad.  That said, travel and tourism is down overall.  In short, all of this basically means that we’re in a time of great travel deals!