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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Les H who wrote (74254)	1/22/2000 9:58:00 AM
From: Freedom Fighter	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

Les, I think the trade figures are another in a long list of government stats that are basically useless because of their inaccuracy. They don't include illegal activities (like drug smuggling). The task of measuring this stuff is also close to impossible. I think the best approach is to look at the accumulation of US assets by foreigners vs. foreign assets by US citizens. I think they keep better tabs on the accumulation of bonds, stocks, whole businesses etc... I haven't seen any of that data recently, but I'm sure we are still selling ourselves off bit by bit in order to live in our current fantasy world. Wayne

To: Les H who wrote (74254)	1/22/2000 10:45:00 AM
From: gnuman	Respond to of 132070

Les, re: Crude oil prices Looks like $30.00. <Although the U.S. and other economies have held up well in the face of rising oil prices, some think that could change with sustained prices of $30 a barrel and higher. "It's a prescription for disaster for the world's consuming economies," said oil economist Phil Verleger with the Brattle Group, an energy-consulting firm in Cambridge, Mass. He said world oil inventories, adjusted for consumption and economic growth, are the lowest in 20 years. > msnbc.com