We find 3 new hires for every 10 layoffs caused by the shock and estimate that 42 percent of recent layoffs will result in permanent job loss. That is from a new paper by Jose Maria Barrero, Nick Bloom, and Steven J. Davis, top experts on this and related topics.  As for policy: Unemployment benefit […]

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My viewing habits are less hi-brow than Tyler’s, perhaps especially now when I am seeking escape and mind rest. Here’s a few things I have enjoyed and some that I have not. DEVS on Hulu. If you know what the Everett interpretation is you will probably enjoy this science-fiction drama with big ideas on quantum […]

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The meat supply is starting to fail. Meat processing factories seem especially susceptible to COVID-19 probably because of mist, chilled air circulation, the creation of aerosols and close worker contact. What other industries could be affected? What would happen if the energy, transportation, or pharmaceutical sector failed? We aren’t even sure which industries are critical. […]

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1. Tips for slowing livestock growth due to plant closures. 2. “The Arizona Department of Health Services told a team of university experts working on COVID-19 modeling to “pause” its work, an email from a department leader shows.” 3. Florian Schneider has passed away. 4. Source code for the Imperial College model.  And Sue Denim […]

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That is the topic of my latest Bloomberg column, here is one bit: The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic brought serious economic damage for thinly capitalized face-to-face retailers, such as small family-owned restaurants. But many of those same institutions will lead the recovery — that is, if they have built up trust among their […]

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From an email from Paul Foster: From my perch, there are two primary reasons the right doesn’t more passionately oppose child abuse. The first has to do with parents’ rights. The general conservative view of the child welfare system is of a group of liberal ladies who think they know better than parents and who […]

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This paper argues that testing participation –and not testing capacity–is the biggest obstacle to a successful “test and isolate”-strategy, as recently proposed by Paul Romer. If ????0=2.5,at least 60percentof a population needs to participate in a testing program to make it theoretically possible to achieve an effective reproduction rate for the whole population,????'', below 1. […]

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Workers in the bottom quintile of the wage distribution experienced a 35 percent employment decline while those in the top quintile experienced only a 9 percent decline. Large differences across the wage distribution persist even after conditioning on worker age, business industry, business size, and worker location. As a result, average base wages increased by […]

The post Facts about labor markets ouch, when are rising wages bad edition appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.

1, “New York acted as Grand Central Station for this virus…”  (NYT) 2. An “economics of epidemiology” paper incorporating Lucas-like mechanisms. 3. Who is at most risk from Covid?  A new study based on very good NHS data. 4. Further new data on transmission.  And useful overview of how Covid-19 “works.” Maybe it seems a […]

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He has more than just the usual hand-wringing, here is one excerpt: Sean Illing …What’s the Occam’s razor explanation for these UFO sightings? Alexander Wendt To me, the Occam’s razor explanation is ETs. Here is another: Sean Illing If some of these UFOs are the products of alien life, why haven’t they made their presence […]

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I have a short Mercatus policy brief on that topic, co-authored with Trace Mitchell.  Excerpt: Risk from reopening cannot fall to zero, but investments in safety by employers can bring real gains in many cases. Ideally, a plan should both minimize risk and encourage employers’ safety investments. In essence, policymakers should (1) limit liability in […]

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For $20, fans of German soccer club Borussia can have a cut-out of themselves placed in the stands at BORUSSIA-PARK. According to the club, over 12,000 cut-outs have been ordered and 4,500 have already been put in place. Here is the tweet and photo. And some sports bettors are betting on simulated sporting events.  (Again, […]

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How many stupid, outrageous, maddening government failures can you document in just 500 words? Jim Doti and my former colleague Laurence Iannaccone should win a prize for this piece in the WSJ: …the U.S. is, by far, the world’s largest producer of alcohol. That distinction is a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, […]

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1. How to ration access to scarce, reopening resources. 2. Will Australia do best?  And America’s coronavirus report card (my Bloomberg column).  And the correct Dan Wang link from yesterday (Bloomberg). 3. Derek Lowe on antibody approaches. 4. Crude empirical work suggesting non-essential businesses can be reopened without bringing big problems on net. 5. Yemeni […]

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Investor slang; a brief recovery in the price of a falling stock. Term is derived from the idea that "even a dead cat will bounce if it falls from a great height."

I tried to buy GX on the dead cat bounce but got burned.

v. Sober

or Someone or something that has been thoroughly disinfected.

I drank some coffee, Im good and decoronafied, can I have my keys?.Honest I can drive !
or Babe ! Im home! let me take a shower and get decoronafied so I can smash that !

On house arrest, usually with a tracking device around one's ankle. Like a horse tethered to a post; you can't go anywhere.

Nah, man, you gotta come over to chill. You know they got me on the tether n' shit!

/ˈkouˌboi'īdəs/

Noun

An intentional lack of regard for danger or negative consequences to strategically help yourself. Using cowboyitis is a cunning tactic to provide self gain.

Sales Work Environment:

Client is avoiding purchase a product

James (sales rep): Why is it you do not want to buy this product?

Clay (customer): Cuz' man, this is expensive

James (now irritated after working with this client for 30 mins): Look man, this is the best of the best and there is no other place you can get this product. You either purchase it today or walk away and feel unsatisfied every time you look at women.

Clay (shocked but not offended): Ok you have a point, I'm not going to wait to make this purchase anymore. Ring me up

James completes the order and walks to Melissa, his sales manager.

Melissa: Give me a high five James, Great Job. That was pure Cowboyitis! Did not know you had that quality.

A ball and socket occurs when one bro goes in for the fist and the reciprocating bro acts as if he is gona bump too, but instead grabs the bros fist and shakes in a pivoting motion making for an awkward moment. Thus the ball and socket has been created.

Bro 1: Fuck yea! (Goes for the fist bump)

Bro 2: (secretly going in for the bro move with alterior motives, and grabs the fist and shakes)

Bro 1: awe shit man the ol' Ball and Socket!

A person who decides whether or not they're full of shit by the reactions of those around them.

"That guy who posted ____ but said he was just trolling when no one agreed with him is totally a Schrodingers Asshole"