Weekend Reading: What we were talking about stateside this week.
Last week we mentioned the disconnect that exists between a relatively good performance by the US economy, and the perception of how the economy is doing out in middle America. This piece in Investors Chronicle suggests that perhaps middle America is on to something. With the post-pandemic bounce now well and truly over, the article argues, there could be trouble ahead.?
With inflation still high in the US, news that auto-worker strikes that begin today in the US could put upward pressure on car prices will be unwelcome for American consumers and policy makers. United Auto Workers have begun their walk-out today, with 13,000 workers downing tools, after negotiations failed to resolve the industrial dispute. This article from Politico profiles the strikers and the root of their anger.?
For years, San Francisco has occupied a special place in the popular imagination. A city of opportunity and culture, the epitome of the American dream nestled in on the beautiful coast of California. Recent years however have seen the city acquire a less enviable reputation for high-rents, inequality, drug abuse and crime. And, people are voting with their feet, with 65,000 San Franciscans having left the city between 2020-2022. This article from The Spectator USA asks, what happened to the great West Coast cities?