Chris Cunningham
@econcunningham.bsky.social
Urban, Housing, Real Estate and Public Economics; former Fed Economist, Founder Citinomics.com; Syracuse grad, dad, hiker, living in Den Haag, NL.
I'm sympathetic to the idea of the finance curse, and that dominance in financial services (and tax avoidance) came at the expense of northern industrial towns and the middle class, but I don't follow the critique of quantitative tightening. UK CPIH is 3.8% QT seems appropriate, no?
Bankers thrived, Britain’s economy dived #econsky
The UK is cursed: how finance destroyed our economy youtu.be/WUy_Hl-sD6Q?...
November 28, 2025 at 9:31 AM
I'm sympathetic to the idea of the finance curse, and that dominance in financial services (and tax avoidance) came at the expense of northern industrial towns and the middle class, but I don't follow the critique of quantitative tightening. UK CPIH is 3.8% QT seems appropriate, no?
Any idea what has happened to the population of mussels with reduced harvesting? Is there now a massive stock of mussels or did they quickly reach the carrying capacity of their environment? Natural experiment for fisheries economists.
Brexit battered mussels; customers hungry. #econsky
Brexit really hurt UK seafood sector
‘The customers are still there’: Welsh mussel farmers hope post-Brexit reset can revive business
Since Brexit, mussel production in has collapsed from about 10,000 tonnes annually to just five tonnes in 2022, representing just 0.05% of the previous total
‘The customers are still there’: Welsh mussel farmers hope post-Brexit reset can revive business
Since Brexit, mussel production in has collapsed from about 10,000 tonnes annually to just five tonnes in 2022, representing just 0.05% of the previous total
November 28, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Any idea what has happened to the population of mussels with reduced harvesting? Is there now a massive stock of mussels or did they quickly reach the carrying capacity of their environment? Natural experiment for fisheries economists.
As AI starts to train on AI content, its functionality may already have peaked. A better deep neural net to predict the mimicry of mimicry of mimicry isn't going to beat AI trained on human generated writing.
The statistic comes from an AI company, so I can’t swear to the veracity but it is too much regardless of the actual number.
November 28, 2025 at 8:49 AM
As AI starts to train on AI content, its functionality may already have peaked. A better deep neural net to predict the mimicry of mimicry of mimicry isn't going to beat AI trained on human generated writing.
Probably a coincidence, but I'll just note that the DC sniper also came from (through?) Bellingham, WA.
November 28, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Probably a coincidence, but I'll just note that the DC sniper also came from (through?) Bellingham, WA.
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
Dutch clip wings of jetset #econsky
November 27, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Dutch clip wings of jetset #econsky
One of the looking glass elements of the Trump administration is the art of being creditably non-creditable; that is, spouting things that appease Trump, while conveying to the Street that you don't actually believe it.
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/news...
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/news...
We Need to Talk About Kevin Hassett at the Fed
At some point, he’ll need to establish a perception of independence from Trump.
www.bloomberg.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:45 AM
One of the looking glass elements of the Trump administration is the art of being creditably non-creditable; that is, spouting things that appease Trump, while conveying to the Street that you don't actually believe it.
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/news...
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/news...
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
Possibly the next chair of the Federal Reserve: "They can't afford bread for stuffing? Tell them to substitute cake!"
Hassett: "On one of the Sunday shows, the anchor criticized the fact Walmart said the Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper by about $10. Then he said, 'Oh yeah, but they substituted generic stuff,' as if having a generic something is a crime for ordinary folks! It shows how out of touch these people are."
November 26, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Possibly the next chair of the Federal Reserve: "They can't afford bread for stuffing? Tell them to substitute cake!"
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
“After Ferreira was detained, Dos Santos Rodrigues said Michael Leavitt Sr. and his father, Bob Leavitt, reached out to her.”
“‘They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport,’” she recalled. “Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.’” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...
“‘They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport,’” she recalled. “Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.’” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...
‘Brazil is not her home.’ Mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, brought to US as child, detained by ICE. - The Boston Globe
Bruna Ferreira, 33, was brought to the United States as a child in 1998. She is now in removal proceedings in Louisiana.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM
“After Ferreira was detained, Dos Santos Rodrigues said Michael Leavitt Sr. and his father, Bob Leavitt, reached out to her.”
“‘They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport,’” she recalled. “Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.’” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...
“‘They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport,’” she recalled. “Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.’” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...
I laughed out loud at this. My only note is that Sanford had an affair with an Argentine journalist on the Appalachian Trail--I mean Buenos Aires-- making this the turduken of politco-journo scandals.
People are calling my lede here "appalling," "nightmare fuel," "actively evil," and "a desecration of the human spirit"
The Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr. Affair Is Messier Than We Ever Could Have Imagined
Inside the most important, and also least important, story of our time
www.theringer.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:28 AM
I laughed out loud at this. My only note is that Sanford had an affair with an Argentine journalist on the Appalachian Trail--I mean Buenos Aires-- making this the turduken of politco-journo scandals.
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
lol the judge who disqualified lindsay halligan as us atty for edva included this footnote, citing a guy who agrees with him (or used to!?!?)
!["... From 1986 to 2006, section 546 was identical to its current form. [n14] ...
[n14] Three days after Congress enacted the 1986 law, an Office of Legal Counsel (“OLC”) memorandum ***authored by then-Deputy Assistant Attorney General Samuel Alito*** concluded the statute does not allow “the Attorney General [to] make another appointment pursuant to [subsection (a)] after the expiration of the 120-day period.” Memorandum from Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Deputy Assistant Att’y Gen., Off. of Legal Couns., to William P. Tyson, Dir., Exec. Off. for U.S. Att’ys 3 (Nov. 13, 1986), available at https://perma.cc/SD5Q-7CPH. “The statutory plan,” Alito reasoned, “discloses a Congressional purpose that after the expiration of the 120-day period further interim appointments are to be made by the court rather than by the Attorney General.” Id. ..."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:zltqtmydso6kikzw7wafpj4p/bafkreigkwkvuujja3pmwgsodn3affc4dup3cei2t5tywjorfyfdrgcegw4@jpeg)
November 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
lol the judge who disqualified lindsay halligan as us atty for edva included this footnote, citing a guy who agrees with him (or used to!?!?)
Mind blowing stat. Does our crime rate inure us to vehiclure deaths, or vice versa?
November 21, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Mind blowing stat. Does our crime rate inure us to vehiclure deaths, or vice versa?
Many, many years ago I was an intern at the International Downtown Association and the consensus at the time was that pedestrianization of streets in the US had been a failure. And there were obvious examples of that like Pioneer Square in Seattle. What changed? Reduced car dependency? BIDS? Crime?
This has been documented far and wide. Close city centres to traffic and local businesses and quality of life will take off.
Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.
There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.
Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople
There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.
Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople
November 20, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Many, many years ago I was an intern at the International Downtown Association and the consensus at the time was that pedestrianization of streets in the US had been a failure. And there were obvious examples of that like Pioneer Square in Seattle. What changed? Reduced car dependency? BIDS? Crime?
Inflation is rising, data are sparse, tariffs may have lowered potential: hold.
Federal Reserve officials ‘strongly’ divided on December rate cut on.ft.com/49tXnkr
Federal Reserve officials ‘strongly’ divided on December rate cut
Minutes from central bank’s October meeting pointed to schism on direction of monetary policy
on.ft.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Inflation is rising, data are sparse, tariffs may have lowered potential: hold.
If this argument was actually credible they'd have published it in an Elsevier Journal.
💥New: Money, Time, Trust, Control – How commercial publishers drain science
✍️ @danbrockington.bsky.social @aileenfyfe.bsky.social @stefhaustein.scholcommlab.ca
#AcademicSky #ScholComm #AcademicPublishing
✍️ @danbrockington.bsky.social @aileenfyfe.bsky.social @stefhaustein.scholcommlab.ca
#AcademicSky #ScholComm #AcademicPublishing
Money, Time, Trust, Control – How commercial publishers drain science - Impact of Social Sciences
Have the interests of commercial publishers now become antithetical to the pursuit of knowledge?
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 19, 2025 at 1:11 PM
If this argument was actually credible they'd have published it in an Elsevier Journal.
Just to pile on to the complaints about fire departments blocking single stairwell apartments, they also fight any narrowing of road ways. This project to drop a lane from a major Atlanta street was ready to go in 2021 but the Fire Chief blocked it for years.
www.midtownatl.com/project/pied...
www.midtownatl.com/project/pied...
Piedmont Ave Complete Street | Midtown Atlanta
Piedmont Ave Complete Street | Midtown Atlanta
www.midtownatl.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Just to pile on to the complaints about fire departments blocking single stairwell apartments, they also fight any narrowing of road ways. This project to drop a lane from a major Atlanta street was ready to go in 2021 but the Fire Chief blocked it for years.
www.midtownatl.com/project/pied...
www.midtownatl.com/project/pied...
Love Wolfers, but this segment was a bit of a mess. First, the host seems confused about what a mortgage is. Second, Justin's position is-- I think--that transferrable mortgages are great but we can't change the terms on existing loans so it can't unlock the market and not an immediate solution.
Portable mortgages are like your cell phone plan: when you upgrade the phone, the plan comes with you. Let your mortgage follow you to the next house. That unfreezes movers—especially downsizers—and unlocks inventory.
Lemme explain why I love this idea:
Lemme explain why I love this idea:
"Portable" Mortgages Could Unlock the Housing Market, Says Economist Justin Wolfers
The Lead with Jake Tapper, CNN, November 13 2025
What happens when homeowners can take their old low mortgage rate with them to their next house?
This conversation tackles the rising buzz around…
www.youtube.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Love Wolfers, but this segment was a bit of a mess. First, the host seems confused about what a mortgage is. Second, Justin's position is-- I think--that transferrable mortgages are great but we can't change the terms on existing loans so it can't unlock the market and not an immediate solution.
I've been staring at this figure for a while. Even NYC is 70% car trips. Really want to know the European cities above 70. Given small circles I'm guessing Ghent and The Hague.
November 16, 2025 at 10:01 AM
I've been staring at this figure for a while. Even NYC is 70% car trips. Really want to know the European cities above 70. Given small circles I'm guessing Ghent and The Hague.
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
Senator Menendez is sitting in his cell at Allenwood right now because he took a 1kg gold bar from the Egyptians, among other forms of “lobbying.”
"It was tough to beat Apple, but the Swiss did it." said one administration official.
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How to lobby Trump with Swiss precision: gifts, gold and gab
How the Swiss broke a diplomatic logjam on tariffs by arriving with tributes fit for a king.
www.axios.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Senator Menendez is sitting in his cell at Allenwood right now because he took a 1kg gold bar from the Egyptians, among other forms of “lobbying.”
So we're killing people that aren't carrying a substance that's not a chemical weapon. Got it.
Trump has destroyed all credibility in government departments. The latest one: the Justice Department classifying fentanyl as a chemical weapon to justify murdering civilians in small boats.
Words mean nothing any more. Neither does authority. We do what we want. Take or leave our excuse.
Words mean nothing any more. Neither does authority. We do what we want. Take or leave our excuse.
November 15, 2025 at 11:05 AM
So we're killing people that aren't carrying a substance that's not a chemical weapon. Got it.
It's just getting ridiculous: The American Soybean Association put out a statement thanking Mr. Trump for exempting fertilizers used in soybean production. Other industries protested being left off the exemptions list.
November 15, 2025 at 7:21 AM
It's just getting ridiculous: The American Soybean Association put out a statement thanking Mr. Trump for exempting fertilizers used in soybean production. Other industries protested being left off the exemptions list.
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
Randall Munroe, welcome to The War on Cars.
![4-panel vertical comic. (1) 100 Years Ago [two people standing next to bicycle with small car nearby] PERSON 1: It’s too dangerous riding a bike with these cars around. I should get a car, too. (2) 50 Years Ago [two people between smaller car and bigger car] PERSON 2 with short hair: Small cars are less safe in collisions with larger vehicles, so I should get a bigger one. (3) Today [two people between big car and even bigger car] PERSON 1: Everyone has huge SUVs now. If I don’t get the biggest one, I’m putting my family at risk. (4) Soon [two people next to large armored car with spiked clubs attached] PERSON 2: If I don’t install more whirling spike clubs, I’ll be destroyed by all the other drivers who...](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreiby6can6k76yzfmv2czxs4pu2l7zie7bqbrpswi7h3ifmiadkuqvu@jpeg)
November 14, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Randall Munroe, welcome to The War on Cars.
Reposted by Chris Cunningham
It would be hilarious if incels breaking for Trump skewed the sex ratio against themselves.
Female flight risk quadruples abroad. #econsky
"In 2025, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity. The current figure is four times higher than the 10% who shared this desire in 2014, when it was generally in line with other age and gender groups."
November 13, 2025 at 5:46 PM
It would be hilarious if incels breaking for Trump skewed the sex ratio against themselves.
Tax experts, how does the partnership structure affect income taxes? Does it also turn everything above the pay-out into a dividend? Can Bessent claim a carried interest deduction?
NYT: “.. Through that structure, Mr. Bessent avoided paying roughly $910,000 in Medicare taxes on money he made running his hedge fund in 2021, 2022 and 2023 ..”
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
November 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Tax experts, how does the partnership structure affect income taxes? Does it also turn everything above the pay-out into a dividend? Can Bessent claim a carried interest deduction?