After many months of relatively high expectations, now hit by a run of not-so-great economic news, this week global stock markets, commodities and more all appear to be in some varying degrees of a corrective mode.

See also recent posts with the tags:  "Growth Recessions" and "Double Dips"

CNBC
Pisani: More Bad Signs for US Economy
A deceleration in the ( Read more... )

National Retail Sales figures were released today and the government tells us that they are doing very well, and have been for quite some time.

But are they, really?

For example, how much of this rise has been nothing more and nothing less than a statistical mirage created by the increased cost of fuel?

Has  the recent run-up in commodities, ( Read more... )

How much longer will the US economy be able to take this?

CNBC
May 9, 2011
Home Values See Biggest Drop Since 2008

U.S. home values fell in the first quarter at the fastest rate since late 2008, real estate data firm Zillow said on Monday, suggesting that a bottom will not be seen until 2012 at the earliest.

Zillow said its home value index fell 3 ( Read more... )

A few days ago, I described how oil prices dropped and stocks went up on news of bin Ladin's death. I also said that it wouldn't last, a view shared by Kunstler.
This morning, Bloomberg is putting out a story that the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil dropped - from $113 to 112 - because Bin Laden was tossed into the sea. How long will ( Read more... )

The Telegraph
Japan enters recession but no yen printing yet

Japan has entered a recession, according to its central bank, but its policy-makers held off from further measures to boost growth despite the devastating impact of last month's earthquake and tsunami.

Reuters
BOJ reckons Japan in recession, stands pat on policy

* BOJ estimates economy ( Read more... )

Moody's
Consumer Spending Held Up in the First Quarter
The spike in retail gas prices came late, limiting the damage.

Rising energy prices didn't deter U.S. consumers in the first quarter of 2011, but that may be changing. As retail gasoline prices cross the psychological threshold of $4 per barrel, the hit to both confidence and spending could be ( Read more... )

While we have had a pretty smart rebound in employment over the past few months, with an almost remarkable boost to employment in manufacturing and related businesses, estimates for first quarter growth keep coming down, and down, and down. With oil and gas hitting levels not seen since 2008, housing in an "L" non-recovery (at best), and more, are ( Read more... )

This bodes quite ill for the United Kingdom's recovery, especially so as this report comes on the heels of official data that shows that UK GDP actually contracted in the final quarter of 2010.

Wall Street Journal
U.K. Retail Sales Plunged Last Month
LONDON-U.K. retailers suffered their worst fall in sales in at least 16 years in March, ( Read more... )

Is the US economy actually much weaker than is being widely reported now?

GPDI is one of the main components of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), and is actually often a bit of a leading indicator for future or even imminent slowdowns & outright recessions. Given its track record, we follow it here in the_recession .

For the first time since the official end of the ( Read more... )

Kyodo News
Woes deepen over radioactive water at nuke plant, sea contamination

TOKYO, March 28, Kyodo

Japan on Sunday faced an increasing challenge of removing highly radioactive water found inside buildings near some troubled nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, with the radiation level of the surface of the pool in the basement of ( Read more... )