economics

Sales of private number plates have been slowing recently as the economic situation becomes more and more gloomy. Initially there was little effect on the volume of sales but as the credit crunch has bitten things have slowed down a lot. It seems to be...

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_extracts/article2804923.ece
3 Messages:
scarcity, social proof, tit-for-tat gift-economy

Quoted: In auctions, if the initial price is too high, it acts as a barrier to entry, so fewer people will place bids.

If the price is low, many more people will ultimately place a bid on it, which will snowball for at least two reasons: First, as people look at the item, they’ll notice many other people bidding on it and infer greater value of the product from that information. Second, as the bidding goes on, there will be more people who possibly feel committed to getting the item and increasing their bids. We hasten to note, however, that ...

old tags: money, blog, science

Dreaming of owning your own car? In spite of the rising cost of fuel these days, there is still a steady demand for cars - most especially, budget cars. Sleek, cute and compact, the various budget cars available in the market today offer people the con...

Quoted: We may be approaching the end of the most worrisome bubble of all: the standard-of-living bubble that grew out of easy credit.

Quoted: Two years ago, Nouriel Roubini predicted the current economic crisis. Now he sees things becoming far worse.

Haute Living’s exclusive talk with Josh Guberman.
Gilty Couture has announced three new accoutrements for the iPhone 3G. The three bezels one gold, two silver all feature jewelry-quality finishes, a one-piece design with side wraps, protective EVA foam interior lining,
Small carnelian gemstones and chips that hang under a round silk shade were used to create the Ramona sconce by Fuse Lighting. The design was inspired by a belted woman’s dress.

Some of these numbers are ridiculous. The USDA forecasts a 14 percent price increase for eggs? Who wants to go in together on buying a chicken?

Quoted: U.S. consumers should brace for the biggest increase in food prices in nearly 20 years in 2008 and even more pain next year due to surging meat and produce prices, the Agriculture Department said on Wednesday.

Excellent article! Begins by examining the competing economic viewpoints in the Democratic Party- personified by Bob (Reich) and Bob (Rubin)- and goes on from there.

Quoted: he was exhausted from two days of campaigning in Florida and might decide to nap as soon as he got on the plane... but we ended up talking for an hour.
Quoted: "a country’s health can’t be measured simply by its economic output. That output, he said, “counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them” but not “the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play.” .... The current concerns about the state of the planet, he said, required something of a paradigm shift for economics. If we don’t make serious changes soon, probably in the next 10 or 15 years, we may find that it’s too late.