{"id":30040,"date":"2015-03-07T09:00:53","date_gmt":"2015-03-07T17:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=30040"},"modified":"2015-03-08T20:28:30","modified_gmt":"2015-03-09T03:28:30","slug":"black-coffee-the-internet-dress-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id30040-black-coffee-the-internet-dress-edition.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Coffee: The Internet Dress Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe<\/em> …<\/p>\n

There has been a lot of controversy floating around lately about Len Penzo dot Com. As such, I feel compelled to set the record straight: My website is predominantly green and white — not blue and black<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Okay, off we go …<\/p>\n

Credits and Debits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Well, it took 15 years, but on Monday the stock market celebrated as Nasdaq finally closed above 5000<\/a> for the first time since March 2000. The Dow and S&P also hit new records on Monday.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> The celebration on Wall Street didn’t last long, however, as the Nasdaq steadily lost ground over the next four days before finally settling on Friday at 4927<\/a>. For the week, the Nasdaq was actually down 0.7%, while the Dow and S&P were both off approximately 1.5%.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> The Nasdaq wasn’t the only index reaching levels this week that haven’t been seen in more than a decade: The US dollar ended the week at its highest point<\/a> in more than 11 years.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Of course, if you poke your head out of the rabbit hole, it’s easy to see that the dollar isn’t “strong” at all. It’s just the least-sickly fiat currency among those in the dollar-index basket. The truth is, the dollar is on borrowed time<\/a>; pun intended.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Even so, said “strong” dollar is currently making imports — and European vacations<\/a> — a real bargain for Americans. Enjoy it while it lasts.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> If you live in California, you know gasoline is skyrocketing faster than the US dollar index. In fact, pump prices in the Golden State have risen 100 cents<\/a> during the last 30 days. No, really.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> According to GasBuddy<\/a>, the average price of gasoline in California is now $3.44 — that’s currently 33 cents more expensive than the average pump price in Hawaii. Yes, that<\/em> Hawaii.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> You think I’m kidding? I wish I was; but I’ve got this handy dandy GasBuddy heat map here showing US gas prices on Friday, March 6th to prove it:<\/p>\n

\"gas<\/a><\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> On the other hand, maybe gas prices are irrelevant now considering that so-called “hyper-luxury” automobiles — think: Bentley, Lamborghini, and Rolls Royce — are now selling faster<\/a> than “normal” cars like Fords, Hondas and Kias. It truly is a Bizarro world we’re now living in.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> You know … I think you should go back, reread the previous Debit, and then ponder what that really<\/em> means. Go ahead; I’ll wait.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> I’m sure federal employees who fill up their tanks in California aren’t batting an eyelash at the rising gas prices either. I only say that because 17,000 government workers earned more than $200,000<\/a> last year. Wow. Who still thinks public servants are underpaid?<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Then again, it’s too bad everybody can’t have a government job. As ZeroHedge points out: “The three biggest single-category jobs the US economy added in February, were also the three lowest-paying ones<\/a>: Leisure & Hospitality, Education & Health, and Retail.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Frankly, when it comes to our government servants, it’s hard to tell who is serving whom<\/a> anymore.<\/p>\n

By the Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here were the five biggest-selling vehicles in America last year:<\/p>\n

1<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Ford F-150<\/p>\n

2<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Chevy Silverado<\/p>\n

3<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Dodge Ram<\/p>\n

4<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Toyota Camry<\/p>\n

5<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Honda Accord<\/p>\n

Source: Kelly Blue Book<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Question of the Week<\/strong><\/p>\n

[poll id=\"51\"]<\/code><\/p>\n

Last Week’s Poll Results<\/strong><\/p>\n

How many siblings do you have?<\/p>\n