Based on some long-term indicators we track, in March of 2007 we began forecasting a recession. We predicted this recession-which officially started in December of 2007-because long-term interest rates were below short-term interest rates for 90 days, a turn of ...
In my July post on pulp prices, I looked at the increases in pulp pricing that materialized between June 2009 and June 2011. Since that time, much has changed. After reaching their June peak, pulp prices fell consistently in the ...
One option that recovered fiber mills have for hedging volatile fiber prices is to increase the number of days of inventory they have on hand when prices are lower. How does a mill determine, though, whether carrying additional days of inventory is actually saving them money? ...
Mortgage interest rates moved even lower in September. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's weekly mortgage application survey, mortgage application volume increased by 9.3 percent during the week ending September 23, an increase prompted in part by lower interest rates. ...
Over the last few weeks, weekly lumber prices for 2x6s, 2x8s and 2x10s have shown little variation between the dimensions and even less so between lengths (8-foot boards are the exception). While individual grades have maintained their separation from each other, within the #2, #3 and #4 grade classes, ...
In my career, I have interviewed and hired scores of job candidates. One of those interviews, 15 years ago, was a revelation to me. At the time I was working in the performance measurement business for the agriculture industry (today ...
Increasingly, renewable energy sources are coming under scrutiny. Ironically, the same activists responsible for the movement away from fossil fuels and toward renewables are now working to undermine planned renewable energy facilities. They are filing lawsuits to stop wind and ...
In August 2011, the US Department of Energy (DOE) released an update (2011 BTSU) of the 2005 Billion Ton Study (2005 BTS). The purpose of the original study was to determine if agricultural and forest resources could displace 30 percent of the country's petroleum consumption, which the DOE ...
