THE REAL STATE OF THE REAL ECONOMY

1 - FIRST TIME APPLICATIONS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IS STILL OVER 300,000/WEEK.

THIS IS MARGINALLY DOWN FROM LAST WEEK , BUT STILL WAY TOO HIGH - AND IT STILL SHOWS WE ARE LOSING JOBS NOT MAKING THEM.

BUT READ THE DESPERATE SPIN:

BLOOMBERG: Applications for unemployment benefits of around 330,000 suggest that hiring could return to the average pace of job creation over the past two years of about 185,000 a month.
The unemployment rate fell in December to 6.7 percent from 7 percent. But much of the decline was due to the departure of about 347,000 unemployed people who stopped looking for work. Once people without jobs stop looking for one, they're no longer counted as unemployed.

2 - THE EUROZONE'S RETAIL SECTOR IS COLLAPSING:

BBC: Retail sales in the eurozone fell sharply over the Christmas period, with their biggest monthly fall in two-and-a-half years.
December's sales fell by 1% compared to the same time a year ago, and by 1.6% compared to November. Both figures were much worse than analysts expected. The drop in consumer demand followed a surprise fall in eurozone inflation to 0.7% in January.

IT'S A LITTLE BETTER IN THE USA, BUT NOT MUCH. IN THE USA, COMPANIES ARE GIVING AWAY BRICK & MORTAR DOLLARS AND GAINING DIGIATL DIMES.

THAT'S NOT A "NEW ECONOMY; THAT'S RECIPE FOR DISASTER.

3 - TWITTER LOST $645 MILLION LAST YEAR AND THEIR STOCK DROPPED 12%.

TWITTER IS NOT ALONE: I BETCHYA HALF OF THE "NEW ECONOMY" DIGITAL COMPANIES ARE DOOMED TO FAILURE.

BOTTOM-LINE: THE GLOBAL ECONOMY IS NOT GROWING NOW; IT IS SHRINKING; CHINA, EUROPE AND THE USA ARE NOT GROWING.

SOLUTION: CUT/FLATTEN TAXES AND LOWER THE PRICE OF ENERGY BY CUTTING REGS ON ENERGY AND ENERGY EXPLORATION - AND OPEN UP ALL ENERGY REGIONS FOR EXPLORATION.