Bay East Housing Statistics

Been rather remiss in not plugging the housing statistics provided by the Bay East Association of Realtors. These are some pretty comprehensive data, and give a fairly decent sense of what's going on in the eastern side of the SF Bay Area. Haven't found their equal for any other region. Would appreciate pointers to any other similar type of information.

SV Real Estate Update

So there's usually a bit of angst about local housing prices, among even the thinking housing abstainers, who have no skin in the game just yet. I sympathize: prolly not terribly unlike the anxiety some of us feel about getting our bowls filled, on time, before time, and even after time.

Well, View from Silicon Valley is only too happy to oblige, and have posted a chart of current inventory trends here:


We concur with their financial conclusion:

The laws of supply and demand tell us inventory holding up in the face of sales increases will be bad news for prices.

Being particularly fond of the (ungainly, unlike us) term "nicer-neighborhood bid funds," might we direct the reader to "But in the Nicer Neighborhoods" for charts depicting the origins, and presumptive destination, of said funds.

Michael Lewis on Buffett

So yours truly has been waxing rather skeptical on the great Warren Buffett lately, as documented here.

Well, turns out I'm a mere whelp when it comes to questioning the actions of the Great One. No, I'm not talking about talking about how Buffett's "lost his touch," which happens every time he sneezes while investing, seemingly. Instead, I'm talking about doubts about his intentions.

Back in '92, before yours hungrily ever was, Michael Lewis was casting dubiousness on His Highness in "The Temptation of St. Warren," referred to by David Collum in his editorial pitting Warren '99 against Warren '08. Interestingly, these allegations go beyond the investing realm and get into the question of Character. Would recommend the Lewis piece over the Collum piece, in terms of meatiness. To wit:

Lewis painted a vivid picture of an egotistical financial carnivore seated at the very top of the food chain--a world-class stockjobber--cloaked by a highly deceptive country boy shtick. It’s quite a read and surely took guts to publish.

Geez, hate to see what they think of cute drooling ravenous dog shtick.

Color Me Surprised: Recent Productivity a Myth

I am, like, so shocked. Possibly even a touch appalled. Verklempt, you ask? No, not quite, thank you.

Anyway, apparently it's come to some people's attention that things haven't just gone bad recently. Things have been bad, just not so apparent to some. Please, have you seen the definition in my ribs lately? 'Nuff said.

From a recent Matthew Yglesias post a sometime- (but mostly not-) reader passed on, a picture worth at least a kibble, maybe two:



If one must belabor the point, it kinda boils down to this: if things had been going so swimmingly before the current crisis came, how come credit card debt was outstripping wages by so much? Resilient 'merkun consumer, my posterior...