Mind Over Market

San Francisco Fed President John Williams told CNBC the timing of the taper must depend on the economic data. He added that tapering should begin later this year, if the economy progresses. He refused to say when, but added: "Any tapering ... we do would be in gradual steps over time ... assuming our forecast comes true." Read more here .

They call themselves "orphan grandparents" -- elderly people whose grown children have left for jobs in other cities, putting stresses on China's traditional three generation households. Here, a group of elderly women meet for a game of mahjong at the Xintu Center for Health Promotions in Shanghai.  Photo:  Mike Hricik/Penn State University/MCT By Mike Hricik McClatchy Tribune Newspapers July 24, 2013 SHANGHAI — Yan Meiyue, 90, said her 72-year-old daughter rarely visits. She doesn't even come home at the annual Spring Festival when families traditionally get together. Yan has been a widow since her husband died nearly 10 years ago. She now spends every weekday at a modest community center near her home. There she plays the Chinese board game mahjong and eats meals prepared by a volunteer staff. “The volunteers keep us company,” Yan said with a smile. She is one of a rapidly growing number of “orphan grandparents” who say they feel abandoned by their younge...

From the Zero Hedge, July 31, 2013: Lakshman Achuthan of the Economic Cycle Research Institute is interviewed on Bloomberg TV "Tyler Durden" at Zero Hedge reports how Achuthan challenges the conventional wisdom that the economy is doing well and how the anchors of the show, especially Tom Keene, defend their view. At 1:05, Achuthan stuns the Bloomberg anchors - "We believe that a recession began last year. Time will tell if that call is correct."  To which they retort...  "The jobs situation is great" [LA] ...the job market is not doing well, all headlines aside. When you – I think the core thing here, and something that concerns us quite a bit, is the types of jobs that make money.  So if you happen to be between the age of 35 and 54, since this so-called jobs recovery began three-and-a-half years ago, you’ve actually seen job losses, not gains, okay ? Job losses for 35 to 54 year-olds approaching a million jobs lost. Now that ...