SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: i-node who wrote (945925)7/9/2016 1:39:13 AM
From: Wharf Rat  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 1575182
 
"That's too complicated for you, isn't it?"

That's too complicated for anybody who knows anything about how the world actually works.
As for workers, if adding homemakers doesn't create enuf new jobs for you, we could start paying all students over the age of 16. Don't have to pay them as much as the homemakers, tho. I'm not sure how many high schoolers there are, but paying college students will add another 20 million workers to the labor force.

Wouldn't be the first time we expanded the work force. Raygun changed the military from "not in the labor force" to "employed.



To: i-node who wrote (945925)7/9/2016 10:22:15 AM
From: combjelly1 Recommendation

Recommended By
J_F_Shepard

  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 1575182
 
It is the long term increase in Aggregate Demand that causes sustainable growth.

Correct. And where does that demand come from?

Consumption. Because if production isn't consumed, it sort of sits there in inventory. Which is why inventory levels are an important predictor of future economic growth.

Good example. Look at the DRAM market. It tends to have booms and busts. It is a typical commodity in that it doesn't really depend on the manufacturer, DRAM is DRAM for the most part. So, when production lags demand, prices go up. When that happens, the manufacturers tend to add supply by building fabs or converting old ones. Now it takes a few years and lots of money to build a fab. And, once built, it is only useful until a new generation of chips come out that uses a technology the fabs can't handle. Anyway, as production starts to satisfy demand, prices stabilize. When production outstrips demand, prices drop. Because of the lag time to build fabs, this often happens before all of the construction of fabs start to slow down. If they are not to the point of equipment being installed, they can halt construction and wait for the next cycle. If equipment is already being installed, the manufacturers are sort of stuck. Because each day that passes, they lose some of their investment. Unless a fab is running, their investment is ticking away because it is only useful for a limited time. So they have no choice but to keep production running at a high rate or they lose an even larger percentage of their investment. Which causes prices to drop even more. Until one or more manufacturers go bankrupt or merge, cutting production and stabilizes prices.

Demand is hard to predict. Which is why it is very difficult to manage construction of fabs. And then there are factors like Windows 8-10. They had the unsavory effect of taking a big bite out of demand, maybe 20% as people realized they didn't like the new operating systems and didn't really need to upgrade. Which also caught the industry by surprise because many started to ramp up in anticipation to the surge in demand that had in the past accompanied new releases of operating systems.

So it is all about consumption, which drives demand. If there is no demand, addition production just drives down prices and leads to bankruptcy.

But that's too complicated for you, isn't it?



To: i-node who wrote (945925)7/15/2016 12:07:15 PM
From: TimF  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 1575182
 
Consumption is key in direct terms. Getting to consume things makes you better off.

But you can't consume anything that doesn't exist. Production increases are key to be able to consume more.

As you point out, in the short run you can have depressed demand. In such a situation extra demand might be key, buy in most short-medium term periods, and certainly in the long run, extra production is what's necessary for for economic growth, increased real incomes, and increased material well being.