Are you interested in R? R, of course, is the statistical software environment that’s becoming the standard for number crunching the world over. For the uninitiated, think of R as Excel on steroids, offering greater flexibility and power to analyze, well, just about anything (if you can tap into the numbers). Even better, R is free and it’s supported by a global army of users and programmers, including some of the smartest economists and statisticians on the planet who write “packages” for this software platform. In any case, if you’re near Iselin, NJ (roughly a 40-minute drive from New York City) next Tuesday, October 22, you’re welcome to attend the New Jersey R meeting at 7 pm at the Hilton Woodbridge (120 Wood Avenue South, Iselin, NJ), where I’ll be giving a brief presentation on macro and markets from the perspective of using R to investigate the finer points of the business cycle and investing. There are three other presentations scheduled too and so the evening should be quite interesting. The event is free, but please confirm your attendance in advance via email:
newjerseyR@mango-solutions.com

You can find more information here:
www.newjerseyr.org/
www.meetup.com/NewJerseyR/

Another week and still no sign of a resolution to the political stalemate in Washington that’s kept the federal government partially shuttered. This is also the week that faces a Treasury default on Thursday, when the government reportedly will run out of money to pay its bills if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling. The question is what happens on October 17 and beyond if the federal government can no longer borrow? The immediate result is that spending would be limited to cash on hand and incoming tax revenue. The big mystery is how such an event would impact the markets, the financial system, and the economy? No one really knows, but we may soon find out.

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