Economy Did Much Better With The Government Shut Down: Chicago Purchasing Managers; Institute For Supply Management's Manufacturing Index; 24 Seconds Of Nebraska

Because of my recent traveling, I haven't kept up with The Wall Street Journal.

By the way, speaking of traveling, here's a short documentary which I have titled "24 Seconds Of Nebraska." I'm not expecting an Oscar nomination for Best Short Documentary, but if a PowerPoint Presentation can win a Nobel Peace Prize, ....

24 Seconds of Nebraska

Coincidentally, this video was "shot" near where the Keystone XL would have been in the northwest corner of Nebraska.

The Wall Street Journal

The FAA will allow most electronic devices to be used on take-on and landings; texting and phoning will still not be allowed flights.

There's actually a story on Libya: the rebels are in the Syrian capital.

Some interesting court news: a Federal appeals court orders New York City's "stop and frisk" law to be re-instated. Similarly, a court ruled that Texas laws regarding abortion clinics must be followed during the appeals process.

It's gonna be a long three years: Republicans blocked the Senate from voting on two of President Obama's nominees, reviving the prospect of a broader fight over presidential nominations that both parties have said could poison relations and shut down all other business in the chamber.

It's gonna be a long three months: Problems with federally run website HealthCare.gov have placed "navigators" on the front lines, facing a deluge of questions and resorting to pen-and-paper applications to enroll consumers. [I just checked: the federal website is up and running; whether one can enroll or not, it another question. I don't go that far in the process.]

Of course, there are now security concerns about the government health care insurance site. Concerns about the security of personal information on the HealthCare.gov website are getting closer attention in Washington, potentially adding to the list of problems with the new federal health-insurance exchange. Remember: Consumer Reports recommends consumers "stay away" from the on-line enrollment process.

My wife has ATT U-Verse out in southern California; she has been very happy with it. TV service from Verizon and AT&T is expanding, affecting cable, as the phone companies experiment with delivering movies and TV programming outside the traditional pay-TV bundle.

GM is playing chicken with Ford on pick-up pricing. The No. 1 U.S. auto maker is trying to curb dealer and customer appetites for lavish sales incentives, arguing that it will hold the line even at the risk of losing market share to Ford in the lucrative pickup truck market.

This is very, very interesting. Just a year ago, ocean shipping companies were struggling. Now: shipping operators and investors are pouring billions of dollars into building new oceangoing tankers to transport diesel, gasoline and aviation fuel—scrambling to keep up with North America's energy boom.

Government shutdown? What shutdown?

Jack Welch suggested a year ago that "those Chicago boys" may not be entirely trustworthy when it comes to economic statistics.

The former General Electric Co. chief's skepticism and dig at the Chicago roots of President Barack Obama came in the context of the 2012 election and concerned a surprisingly strong employment report, which is compiled by government statisticians. The latest bit of upbeat data really did come from Chicago, but it is strictly a private-sector affair.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index for October, released Thursday, surged well past expectations, to 65.9. The 10-point jump -- economists has predicted a modest decline -- is the best reading since April 2011. 

Unlike employment data, the Chicago PMI will be followed immediately by a sanity check: the closely watched national survey of manufacturers by the Institute for Suply Management due Friday.

So, what was the ISM number?

U.S. manufacturing remained strong in October, according to a closely followed index released Friday. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index climbed to 56.4% -- the highest level since April 2011 -- from 56.2% in September. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected a 55% reading, and any reading over 50% indicates expansion. Both the new orders and production indexes have registered above 60% for three consecutive months.

MasterCard net for 3Q13 rises 14% -- perhaps their credit cards saved the furloughed government civilian workers for those two weeks in October, or whatever it was.