Monthly Archives: February 2012
Gasoline Prices
Well, the Family Day long weekend is upon us and gasoline prices here in Thunder Bay have spiked up again. Last week, gasoline in Thunder Bay was about $1.17 a liter and right now it is about $1.30 though prices are a bit lower on the south side of town. Thunder Bay's prices have been […]
Why I’m Not Worried About Italy’s Economy
With all the doom and gloom about Europe’s economy and the debt crisis, some recent statistics from the Italian Central Bank caused me to reflect that despite its problems, the Italian economy is more robust than one might think because of its strong performance when it comes to private wealth.
Three questions on the transmission of business cycles
I've been mulling this over for the last couple of weeks. I haven't really come up with a clear answer. So I thought I would just throw it out there. I've got three questions. The most important question is the third question. 1. Assume I am an individual household or small firm, and that I […]
Why I don’t recognize your foreign educational credentials
The Canadian immigration literature seems to regard employers with a hint of disapproval. For example, a recent survey talks about "the failure to recognize foreign credentials" as if employers and others are, for some unaccountable reason, not able to recognize a credential when it's staring them in the face. I've just spent the last couple of hours trying to […]
Why is CPP funded, but OAS is Pay As You Go?
(Non-Canadians: this post is for you too, even if you don't know what CPP and OAS mean. They are both pensions for old people. There is only one relevant difference between CPP and OAS, and I discuss it below.) My (very amateurish and random) reading of stuff related to my previous post on Old Age […]
A preliminary estimate for Canadian 2011Q4 GDP growth
This is a bit late. I ran – but forgot to post – my quarterly attempt to provide an estimate for quarterly GDP growth a month before Statistics Canada releases its first estimates (most recent exercise is here). This is done by using simple linear regression model of monthly GDP growth on monthly LFS data […]
How to cope with an autistic economist
Mainstream economics is sometimes described as an autistic way of understanding the world, and prominent economists such as Scott Sumner have gone public with their autistic tendencies. The "autism" of an academic economist is so far away from the struggles of a head-banging, withdrawn, perseverating child it seems almost wrong to equate the two. Yet, as Tyler Cowen […]
When D-Day Comes, Then What?
On Wednesday, we shall see the unveiling of Don Drummond’s recommendations for the repairing of Ontario’s finances. Quite frankly, I was a little surprised that Drummond Day was not set for February 14th and advertised as a set of tough love policies to highlight the uncompromising bond between Ontario’s leaders and its people but I […]
The PBO Report on sustainability of benefits to the elderly
The Parliamentary Budget Office has released a Report (pdf) on the fiscal sustainability of benefits to the elderly. This is not my area. I don't have a lot to say on the subject. I want to say a couple of things.
The basic arithmetic of RRSPs and TFSAs
Financial advisors seem to be everywhere this time of year, pontificating about the merits of Registered Retirement Savings Accounts (RRSPs) and Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs). I'm not a financial advisor, but I know a bit about how the tax system works, and can do some basic arithmetic.
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative 
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