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Available Energy

Discuss research and forecasts regarding hydrocarbon depletion.

Re: Available Energy

Postby shortonoil » Thu 12 Mar 2009, 12:18:58

k and m are constants that control the heigth and width of the curve. Search logistic curve to find a more detailed explanation.
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Re: Available Energy

Postby yesplease » Tue 17 Mar 2009, 18:05:41

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'D')ohboi's question remains unanswered. (Due perhaps to Yesplease bizarre inability to understand net energy analysis)
All I've seen in this thread is a belief that the NSA and/or CIA are all over the place along with assumptions that ignore decades of data. While there is certainly something here, net energy analysis it ain't.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Professor Membrane', ' ')Not now son, I'm making ... TOAST!
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Re: Available Energy

Postby shortonoil » Wed 08 Apr 2009, 17:06:36

Energy analysis is one of the most common and powerful tools used by physical scientists and engineers. It is used on an ongoing bases to solve problems that are otherwise undeterminable by common stochastic methods. Remarks concerning energy analysis’s lack of applicability merely demonstrate a lack of expertise about the subject by the commentator.

The Baseline Scenario

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '')Simon Johnson is a former chief economist with the International Monetary Fund and is currently a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He, along with James Kwak, a former McKinsey consultant, is a co-founder of The Baseline Scenario (http://www.baselinescenario.com) which is a blog dedicated to explaining what happened in the global economy and what we can do about it.”


A reply to a Baseline Scenario:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')eparately, one point in your baseline that doesn’t get picked up often is that the common projections of recovery in 2010 are based on models that predict spontaneous reversion to the mean (without trying to explain how this happens), simply because of the historical tendency for this to occur. This ignores key facts, that you note:

1) This one is worse (already) than anything since the 1930s, and it’s global.

2) Previous reversion to the mean may not have been spontaneous, but could have resulted from active policy response. The blind expectation of magical mean reversion may be killing the active policy response that is required to achieve mean reversion.

The fact that the models keep being revised back on a monthly basis is scary - it means that the (unknown) factors that should be triggering an “automatic” recovery aren’t happening on schedule (and may not happen at all).

Baselinescenario


On 02/06/09 in the This is really serious the poo has hit the fan thread I posted that based on the Available Energy Model it can be predicted:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
World (year end)

Year GDP Decline % Net Worth Yrly NW Decline
‘08 5.9 1956.5 115.4
‘09 6.3 1841.1 115.4
‘10 6.7 1725.1 115.4
‘11 7.1 1609.5 115.4
')

The data in the chart above did not take into consideration the effect that would occur from a significant reduction in exploration and development efforts. A reduction in E&P by the energy industry would free a portion of energy for use by the general economy. Since the Availability Energy model as applied to economic analysis is based on one simple assumption; that is, that all economic activity requires energy to be performed, it is necessary to look at the impact of any major reductions in E&P.

Whereas 83% of modern industrial societies’ energy is extracted from fossil fuels, and 38% of that is derived from petroleum, an analysis of the energy contribution of those products will give us a determination of economic viability, both now an into the future.

Counter arguments as to efficiency of energy use as not being considered have little validity and can not be seriously embraced because of the time element necessary to implement efficiency programs. Significant increases in efficiency require changes in both technology and social behavior. Within the time frame of the decade and one-half remaining for the functional period of the oil age, it can be reasonably assumed that increased efficiency could only have a minor impact on oil’s rapidly declining energy contribution.


$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]The Oil Drum: "BP Plc, Total SA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are asking oilfield service companies to cut project costs by up to 40 percent as the industry battles its worst slump since the mid-1970s.
Executives at contractors including Technip SA, CGGVeritas and Saipem SpA said Europe’s biggest oil companies are pressing for discounts. In response, they say they reduced the number of drilling rigs in operation by more than 25 percent and next will take oilfield vessels out of service, threatening jobs."


A 40 percent reduction in E&P costs of $140 billion over the next two years with 20 percent having occurred in 2008, based on 20,000 BTU per dollar of E&P expense, would adjust world GDP figures as shown below. This reduction is supplying the world with additional energy for its general economy. (It required 8356 BTU from all sources to product $1 in GDP in the US during 2008.) This reduction in E&P results in an additional 552mbe for the general economy over this period, or 1.8% of one year’s total oil production. The adjusted figures are:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
World
Year GDP %
‘08 (4.2)
‘09 (4.6)
‘10 (5.0)
‘11 (7.1)

** all figures year end results and assume a static money supply
')

These figure are in the range projected by the UN Council on Economic Development of -2.75% for worldwide GDP in 2009, and the OECD which is now forecasting a contraction of -4.3% in 2009 for the OECD. The BEA reported a decline of -6.3% for the fourth quarter of 2008 in the US.

It must also be remember that the “official” GDP numbers are being skewed upwards by the immense expansion that is occurring in the money supply of most nations. This is being done to compensate for the rapidly declining velocity of money, and to pay for stimulus programs. The US is expanding its money supply by at least 17% per year, China by over 20%.

It is not surprising that economists are discovering that ”models keep being revised back on a monthly basis”. They have “unknown factors”. It is evident that these continually reemerging unknown factors lay outside the conventionally used economic models and are poorly understood.

To admit that energy is the determining factor, or to even considerate it, would be for them to admit that their P/Q hypothesis is fundamentally flawed. That is, the market does not actually provide an infinite quantity of resources by some magical process that is independent of time.

All of the economic recovery policies set forth to date refuse to address the problem of resource depletion, and its impact on world wide economic decline. It can therefore be assumed that no workable program will be put forth in time to mitigate the ongoing carnage in the financial industry and the general economy.

It would seem reasonable for the prudent individual to prepare for the worse case scenario. It seems highly probable that worldwide economic chaos will fully manifest itself no later than the third or fourth quarter of 2011 when GDP can be expected to experience a substantial drop!

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he global economic collapse of the last several months is already greater than the shock that hit the world 80 years ago, triggering the Great Depression, two economists reported Tuesday.

Huffingtonpost
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Re: Available Energy

Postby shortonoil » Mon 11 May 2009, 13:10:24

For those of you who find discussions concerning the monetary consequences of our debt based fiat currency system confusing, Mish provides a short course that is excellent.
Mish

You’ve got to love this quote:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t's pretty amazing if you think about it: Credit is extended with 30-50 times leverage on inherently worthless paper.


These simple equations tell the story:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
Fm = Fb + MV(Fc)

Fm = Fiat Money Total
Fb = Fiat Monetary Base
Fc = Fiat Credit, the amount of credit on the balances sheets of institutions in excess of Fb

MV(Fc) is the market value Fc

Inflation is an expansion of Fm
Deflation is a contraction of Fm')

If we do a little mathematical conjuring here and take the first derivative of the equation:
Fm = Fb + MV(Fc)
we get some interesting insight into why the monetary system is at death’s door.

now, Fb changes very little and very slowly, so it is reasonable to consider it as a constant, and the derivative of a constant is zero, which gives us:

d(Fm)/dt = d(MV(Fc))/dt

This says that the rate of change of the Fiat Money Total is equal to the rate of change of the Market Value of Fiat Credit.

On 02/25/09 in the This is really serious the poo has hit the fan thread I posted this:
It shows the decline in US GDP and net worth for four years as projected by the AvailableEnergy model.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
Year GDP Decline % Net Worth* Net Worth Decline*
‘08 5.9 423.5 26.5
‘09 6.3 396.8 26.5
‘10 6.7 370.3 26.5
‘11 7.1 343.9 26.5

*trillions
')

On 04/07/09 in the Available Energy thread I posted a revision which reflects the expected decline in GDP which also takes into consideration the reduction in exploration and development that has been reported. These reductions in E&D will increase the energy supply to the general economy and mitigate the decline in GDP while those reductions continue.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
World
Year GDP %
‘08 (4.2)
‘09 (4.6)
‘10 (5.0)
‘11 (7.1)

** all figures year end results and assume a static money supply
')

Filling out the rest of the chart, and assuming that the US follows the world trend we get:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
Year GDP Decline % Net Worth* Net Worth Decline*
‘08 (4.2) 431.1 18.9
‘09 (4.6) 411.3 19.8
‘10 (5.0) 390.7 20.6
‘11 (7.1) 363.0 27.7
TOTAL 87.0
*trillions
')

The destruction in net worth by the end of 2011 will be $87 trillion. The Market Value of Fiat Credit for the entire US bond portfolio is only about $58 trillion. It will not be possible for the FED to create enough Fiat Monetary Base to compensate. Fiat Money Total is going to disappear, leaving only the Base.

This is how the prediction for a monetary system collapse of no later than the 3rd or 4th quarter 2011 was derived. Almost the entire value of the Market Value of Fiat Credit will be wiped out by that time.
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Re: Available Energy

Postby dohboi » Mon 11 May 2009, 15:28:08

Thanks for the clearing up my questions about k and m. The rest of your analysis makes it pretty clear that the pundits that are declaring a bottom to the financial crisis are talking out of their you-know-whats.

Is still do wonder if there could be one last fake-out pseudo-recovery for a few months or years before we really get into steep decline. Aren't there a bunch of mega-projects due to come on line in the next couple years? Have they all been mothballed? It seems like some folks over at TOD and elsewhere are thinking that things get really serious in more like 2013 or a bit later. Not that a few months really makes much of a difference in the big scheme of things.
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Re: Available Energy

Postby shortonoil » Mon 11 May 2009, 17:45:53

dohboi said:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')s still do wonder if there could be one last fake-out pseudo-recovery for a few months or years before we really get into steep decline. Aren't there a bunch of mega-projects due to come on line in the next couple years?


We know that banks, in collusion with government agencies, are burying a lot of this debt with Mark to Miracle devices, and off balance sheet schemes. These types of manipulations can cover banks for some indeterminate time, but that will not alleviate the basic problem. The credit markets are dysfunctional and in spite of claims to the contrary they are getting worse.

Corporate profits, and personal incomes are falling like a stone and bankruptcies will soon be exploding as individuals and firms find themselves unable to roll over debt by refinancing. By just looking at the asset destruction that we saw last year in home values, equities and bonds it is fairly apparent that the situation is much worse than most are admitting to.

When there is a disappearance, of what Mish calls Market Value of Fiat Credit, equal to the value of the US bond market, there will no longer be a way for the FED to create money. Estimates in general have been optimistic, and that has been because most estimates have been based on miscalculations of future GDP.

White House Estimates
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
Real GDP
2008 1.30
2009 (1.20)
2010 3.20
2011 4.00
2012 4.60
2013 4.20
')

The above White House estimates, obviously, vary greatly from the -6.3 in 4th quarter ‘08, and the -6.1% we’ve seen in 1st quarter ‘09. Adding to that, most estimates for recoveries are extrapolated from previous recessions. Such as, since post WWII the average recession has lasted 14 months, meaning if this was a typical recession if should be ending soon.

We are likely to see a slowing in the rate of decline for the next 6 or so months. That will be interrupted as a sign of the end by most, as seen now happening by the proclamations of the“green sprouts” enthusiasts. Unfortunately it will only be a brief hiatus, and those sprouts will be looking more like tumble weed within another year.
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Re: Available Energy

Postby shortonoil » Mon 25 May 2009, 15:21:03

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he International Energy Agency (IEA) may revise downward its forecast of a 21% fall in global energy sector investment, its chief economist Fatih Birol, said on Monday. Oil producers may have canceled or delayed $170 billion worth of investment in recent months.


In the post above is a calculation of the expected decline rate in world GDP which was based on IEA estimates of the on going decline in E&D.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A') 40 percent reduction in E&P costs of $140 billion over the next two years with 20 percent having occurred in 2008, based on 20,000 BTU per dollar of E&P expense, would adjust world GDP figures as shown below. This reduction is supplying the world with additional energy for its general economy. (It required 8356 BTU from all sources to product $1 in GDP in the US during 2008.) This reduction in E&P results in an additional 552mbe for the general economy over this period, or 1.8% of one year’s total oil production. The adjusted figures are: (snip)


The IEA is revising their estimates from a $140 billion decline in E&D to $170 billion. That will affect the decline rate in world GDP. I’ll post those new figures in the next few days.
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Re: Available Energy

Postby shortonoil » Sun 11 Oct 2009, 11:30:15

This was also posted on 06/08/09 in the Umployment thread of E&F.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') have not yet posted the updates reflecting the $170 billion number in the AE thread, but will post them here:


$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
World
Year GDP %
‘08 (4.2)
‘09 (3.9)
‘10 (4.3)
‘11 (7.1)
')
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Re: Available Energy

Postby copious.abundance » Thu 15 Oct 2009, 20:13:19

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonoil', 'O')n 04/07/09 in the Available Energy thread I posted a revision which reflects the expected decline in GDP which also takes into consideration the reduction in exploration and development that has been reported. These reductions in E&D will increase the energy supply to the general economy and mitigate the decline in GDP while those reductions continue.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
World
Year GDP %
‘08 (4.2)
‘09 (4.6)
‘10 (5.0)
‘11 (7.1)

** all figures year end results and assume a static money supply
')

Well well well. I think it's time for a reality check here. So far, shortonoil's little model isn't working so well. Perhaps it needs a bit of tweaking - no? Nay, I say it will eventually prove to be utterly worthless, but time will tell. So far, his prediction for a 2008 world GDP decline of 4.2% has gone down the drain, as world real GDP in 2008 actually expanded by 3.1% (source). His 2009 prediction is looking even worse. This shall be entertaining to watch.
Stuff for doomers to contemplate:
http://peakoil.com/forums/post1190117.html#p1190117
http://peakoil.com/forums/post1193930.html#p1193930
http://peakoil.com/forums/post1206767.html#p1206767
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Re: Available Energy

Postby shortonsense » Thu 15 Oct 2009, 21:32:17

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', '
')Last time I heard, thermodynamics is not a "little model." I am so very very sorry that the real, non-virtual world trumps voodoo economics.


I must have missed the thermodynamics part, Short is predicting a change in GDP, which is an economic scheme, by pretending that it is the dependent variable to whatever his available energy model does.

Short will undoubtedly be the first to tell you that an important part of a modelers job is to calibrate them against reality to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to, accurately. If Shorts model does not match reality, there is a reason for it, and to make it work better, he needs to find out what it is. Apparently, available energy isn't quite the driver of GDP that his model says it is.

This isn't a surprise, all models are wrong, but some are useful. ( paraphrasing ). This isn't the first attempt by someone around here to try and incorporate EROEI into a economic model of some sort, I haven't seen one work well yet, which should be saying something to the modelers.
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Re: Available Energy

Postby shortonoil » Mon 26 Oct 2009, 14:56:11

SS said:


$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')If Shorts model does not match reality, there is a reason for it, and to make it work better, he needs to find out what it is.



Read the introduction! The relationship was defined by Cleveland in his paper. That is, over the last 100+ years there has been a direct relationship between GDP (GNP) and BTU consumed. R squared 98%.

I think that this is about the tenth time that this has been discussed! Can you say: "memory span of a coach roach"!

Within 16+ years we will have 4.3 trillion barrels of oil remaining and they will be about as useful as tits on a bull. It's called the end of the fossil fuel age and the economic/monetary system will be the first to feel its inpact.
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Re: Available Energy

Postby yesplease » Mon 26 Oct 2009, 17:54:19

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonoil', 'R')ead the introduction! The relationship was defined by Cleveland in his paper.
That's true, however the data in the Cleveland paper only goes up to the early 1980s.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonoil', 'T')hat is, over the last 100+ years there has been a direct relationship between GDP (GNP) and BTU consumed. R squared 98%.
That's incorrect. Up until the early 1980 it held, but since then the relationship between the two has changed significantly compared to it's behavior prior to the early 1980s. Image
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonoil', 'I') think that this is about the tenth time that this has been discussed! Can you say: "memory span of a coach roach"!
Speaking of which...
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Professor Membrane', ' ')Not now son, I'm making ... TOAST!
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Re: Available Energy

Postby prestonwatson » Tue 24 Nov 2009, 06:35:06

Hi short,
Is this the one you were willing to update:

In particle physics, the available is the energy in a particle collision available to produce new matter from the kinetic energy of the colliding particles. Since the conservation of momentum must be held, a system of two particles with a net momentum may not convert all their kinetic energy into mass - and thus the available energy is always less than or equal to the kinetic energy of the colliding particles. The available energy for a system of one stationary particle and one moving particle is defined as:

E_a = \sqrt{2 m_t c^2 E_m + (m_t c^2)^2 + (m_k c^2)^2}

where

mt is the mass of the stationary target particle,
mk is the mass of the moving particle,
Em is the kinetic energy of the moving particle, and
c is the speed of light.
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Re: Available Energy

Postby copious.abundance » Sat 30 Jan 2010, 01:21:35

Time for another reality check! :lol:

According to shortonoil's little model here, US GDP should have contracted by 5.9% or 4.2% in 2008, depending on the assumption.

It should also have contracted by either 6.3% or 4.6% in 2009, again depending on the assumption.

But reality sez . . .

LINKY - scroll to near the bottom of the page.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'R')eal GDP decreased 2.4 percent in 2009 (that is, from the 2008 annual level to the 2009 annual
level), in contrast to an increase of 0.4 percent in 2008.


So, in 2008 he didn't even get the direction right, and while he got the direction right in 2009, his more optimistic assumption was almost twice as worse as reality.

I can't wait 'till 2010 final numbers come in! :lol:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonoil', '[')...]

This says that the rate of change of the Fiat Money Total is equal to the rate of change of the Market Value of Fiat Credit.

On 02/25/09 in the This is really serious the poo has hit the fan thread I posted this:
It shows the decline in US GDP and net worth for four years as projected by the AvailableEnergy model.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
Year GDP Decline % Net Worth* Net Worth Decline*
‘08 5.9 423.5 26.5
‘09 6.3 396.8 26.5
‘10 6.7 370.3 26.5
‘11 7.1 343.9 26.5

*trillions
')

On 04/07/09 in the Available Energy thread I posted a revision which reflects the expected decline in GDP which also takes into consideration the reduction in exploration and development that has been reported. These reductions in E&D will increase the energy supply to the general economy and mitigate the decline in GDP while those reductions continue.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
World
Year GDP %
‘08 (4.2)
‘09 (4.6)
‘10 (5.0)
‘11 (7.1)

** all figures year end results and assume a static money supply
')

Filling out the rest of the chart, and assuming that the US follows the world trend we get:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
Year GDP Decline % Net Worth* Net Worth Decline*
‘08 (4.2) 431.1 18.9
‘09 (4.6) 411.3 19.8
‘10 (5.0) 390.7 20.6
‘11 (7.1) 363.0 27.7
TOTAL 87.0
*trillions
')

The destruction in net worth by the end of 2011 will be $87 trillion. The Market Value of Fiat Credit for the entire US bond portfolio is only about $58 trillion. It will not be possible for the FED to create enough Fiat Monetary Base to compensate. Fiat Money Total is going to disappear, leaving only the Base.

This is how the prediction for a monetary system collapse of no later than the 3rd or 4th quarter 2011 was derived. Almost the entire value of the Market Value of Fiat Credit will be wiped out by that time.
Stuff for doomers to contemplate:
http://peakoil.com/forums/post1190117.html#p1190117
http://peakoil.com/forums/post1193930.html#p1193930
http://peakoil.com/forums/post1206767.html#p1206767
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Re: Available Energy

Postby sparky » Sat 10 Apr 2010, 23:48:10

.

Oil finder , I guess some hard ribbing is in order and well deserved too

but things are not exactly rosy

there is a pretty good argument to be made that the recent divine surprise on the stock market
is fueled by government debt .
As for the rising price of commodities , including the pretty strong oil price
since the economies are not so flash ,
it would indicate a lot of loose money buying anything not bolted down

anyone predicting 100$ per barrel by year end might be wrong , but not absurdly so

That is going to create a fair bit of demand destruction around the shopping malls

.
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Re: Available Energy

Postby Outcast_Searcher » Sat 24 Apr 2010, 22:15:24

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sparky', '
')anyone predicting 100$ per barrel by year end might be wrong , but not absurdly so

That is going to create a fair bit of demand destruction around the shopping malls
.

This is something I don't understand. I keep hearing this from pundits on TV new shows, in the print MSM, and on discussions about oil (peak and otherwise).

We've had oil recently priced on average at perhaps $83 a barrel, gasoline prices seem to be hovering around $2.80. (I know this may not be precise, but is good enough for a back-of-the-envelope concept discusision).

So, if oil goes to $100ish, gasoline will go up some too - let's say to ROUGHLY $3.20.

Now, why does this SUDDENLY cause significant demand destruction? This hypothesis seems just plain SILLY to me. It will create SOME marginal drag on the economy, and (temporarily) at round numbers like $3.00 a gallon, it might cause a bit of a bigger bump, due to fear or a temporary bit of wake-up factor.

But, do you REALLY think that the (very stupid and short-sighted, IMO) consumer who is now driving a GDP recovery by returning to 2007 buying habits (for those employed, anyway), for everything from Apple's electronic doo-dads to houses to cars to expensive restuarants, to travel, clothes, etc. etc. is suddenly just going to get CRUSHED at, say $3.20 or $3.25 a gallon for gasoline?

I say hell no! They might eat out ONCE less a week, or buy less fancy clothes by a bit, or take a cheaper vacation, etc. which will produce SOME drag on economic growth, but that's ***IT***.

And, recent history has shown that for gas, the consumer seems to "get used" to new price levels and largely go back to earlier gasoline purchasing levels after about six months. There are of course limits to this, but sadly, we seem to be no where near them.

So, if you want to forecast that the economy will grow about .5% slower at $100 average crude oil prices than at $80+, that sounds like a reasonable stab.

To act like (as I believe your post implies) that it will send the economy into a tailspin, double-dip, yada yada - It just seems to fly in the face of what we have seen out of consumer behavior for the last 5 years, and the last 6 months especially.

You have LOTS of company in your assertion - so please, tell me why I'm way off base here. (Or, are the pundits wrong?)
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Re: Available Energy

Postby sparky » Sun 20 Jun 2010, 00:19:36

.

The critical factor is NOT the price of the gallon of gas ,
I know Americans are obsessed by it but oil is used in pretty much everything from feedstock in the chemical industry to transport of products and services , an increase in its price percolate through the whole economy often in a multiplying effect
Any country which import the stuff has to work harder to pay for the same amount
it create a shrinking of domestic value ,
people think it's inflation but it would be more realistic to think of running faster to have the same income ,
I.E. the big Mac is the same , only the price number change

The effect can be dramatic , from past experience , a doubling of the price shrink the economy by ~5%
that means a recession , that means no jobs , that means the service sector and discretionary spending is hammered , which means more people on the dole , ultimately the whole economy stabilize itself at a new level of poverty after a few years and , if things are stable , some suppressed spending create a growth pulse .
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Re: Available Energy

Postby Pops » Sun 20 Jun 2010, 14:15:34

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Outcast_Searcher', 'I')t just seems to fly in the face of what we have seen out of consumer behavior for the last 5 years, and the last 6 months especially.

Are you counting the behavior of the 20% un or underemployed?
The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves -- in their separate, and individual capacities.
-- Abraham Lincoln, Fragment on Government (July 1, 1854)
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Re: Available Energy

Postby Outcast_Searcher » Sun 20 Jun 2010, 19:30:54

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Outcast_Searcher', 'I')t just seems to fly in the face of what we have seen out of consumer behavior for the last 5 years, and the last 6 months especially.

Are you counting the behavior of the 20% un or underemployed?

A fair question. I'd say yes, for roughly half, because:

1). Congress' willingness, backed by this administration's ethic to apparently buttress state unemployment benefits (which are paid for via unemployment insurance) with apparently endless federal unemployment benefits -- currently aiming at 99 weeks (which aren't paid for -- I wouldn't object to these if we PAID for them by cutting other stupid programs).

2). For the underemployed, and apparently a chunk of the U6 number that leads you to the 20%ish fugure:

a). (per a recent WSJ article I read), some of the decision to work less comes from the employees themselves, in the U6 figure.
b). People working 20 to 30 hours a week, say, can make decisions just as financially stupid and frivlous as full time workers, even if the percentage will likely be lower than for those fully employed.

(Edit -- I did parenthetically mention "for those employed" as a potential qualifier in my original post.)
Given the track record of the perma-doomer blogs, I wouldn't bet a fast crash doomer's money on their predictions.
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