Hi, Shrewd!        Login  
Shrewd'm.com 
A merry & shrewd investing community
 Best Of RIBest OfAll BoardsThe Shrewd’m WeeklyLearn to InvestHow to Become Shrewd
Search
Shrewd'm.com Merry shrewd investors
Search
Best Of RIBest OfAll BoardsThe Shrewd’m WeeklyLearn to InvestHow to Become Shrewd

The week's question
In March 2025, in the thread "Re: OT, out", Umm asked the members: "Do you think it is because America is made up of magical soil that makes businesses based in America magically profitable?" This week it is put to everyone again. The button below opens the small thread re-asking it - read what others have said so far, then give your own answer as an ordinary reply.
Answer this questionContinue to Shrewd'mThis note won't appear again
Personal Finance / Retirement Investing
Unthreaded | Threaded | Whole Thread (18) |
Author: rayvt ✧☼🐝🐝  😊 😞
Number: of 1355 
Subject: Re: Protecting the Downside
Date: 10/08/25 3:38 PM
Post New | Post Reply | Report Post | Recommend It!
No. of Recommendations: 1
Watch unemployment.

Might as well watch chicken entrails.
Or the Queen in a 3-card monte game.

Any statistic that is subject to political pressure (and games) is useless. Unemployment data gets revised and gets tweaked due to politics all the time.

The things to look at are statistics that DON'T get touted on the TV news or Yahoo news.

Things like Industrial Production: Total Index (INDPRO) and Real Retail and Food Services Sales (RRSFS)
St. Louis Fed (FRED): Industrial Production: Total Index (INDPRO) | FRED
St. Louis Fed (FRED): Advance Real Retail and Food Services Sales (RRSFS) | FRED

Ever seen either of them on the 6:00 news? No.

The God Emperor is doing just fine. Just what we voted for.
Post New | Post Reply | Report Post | Recommend It!
Print the post
Members reply directly to rayvt here — and replies get answered. Reading is free; so is joining the conversation. Join Shrewd'm »
This community has written 1,284 posts about Retirement Investing. The article-length ones it recommended most:
The Case for Long-Term Buy and Hold Investing · 49 recs · 2025
Transferring assets to the next generation · 20 recs · 2025
Retirement Year 8 · 17 recs · 2025
(nearly) year one of retirement has been good · 11 recs · 2026
Buying Treasuries Via Vanguard · 10 recs · 2023
Unthreaded | Threaded | Whole Thread (18) |


Announcements
Retirement Investing FAQ
Contact Shrewd'm
Contact the developer of these message boards.

Ticker or Board Name Author

Best Of RI | Best Of | Favourites & Replies | All Boards | Followed Shrewds | Open Questions | Moving a community