Locator: 50796CRAMER.
April PPI (producer price index): significant increase; greater than expected. About 1% vs 0.4% estimated. Markets respond accordingly / as one might expect.
WTI: $102.20.
Futures: futures suggest "all" the tech losses from yesterday will be erased today. The Dow is down 130 points pre-market but how it affects an individual is greatly dependent on one's holdings. For example, Dow's CAT is up $2.86.
Mortgage rates: move to highest level in five weeks, but homebuyers "shrug it off." We've had this discussion before. Within a range, mortgage rates have little effect on decision to buy or not buy. And, like everything else, to sell a house, a seller / realtor may have creative deals to offset any increase in mortgage rates.
Semiconductors: PHXL. Top 30 components. Ticker SOX.
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Destinations
Pottery Manufacturing In North Carolina
This is so incredibly cool!
AI prompt: pottery manufacturing development near Spruce Spine, North Carolina.
AI reply: while Spruce Pine, NC, is a major center for quartz mining and semiconductor-related industries, it is not a hub for traditional pottery manufacturing; that distinction belongs to Seagrove, NC, which is centuries old and known as the "Handmade Pottery Capital of the United States."
Spruce Pine's industrial development focuses on high-purity minerals rather than clay-based arts and crafts.Spruce Pine's Industrial Focus:
- Mining: Spruce Pine is at the heart of a significant mining district that supplies high-purity quartz used in manufacturing integrated circuits.
- Companies: The mines are primarily owned by global material solutions companies like Sibelco and The Quartz Corp.
North Carolina's Pottery Hub:
- Seagrove: The region historically known for pottery manufacturing is Seagrove, located in central North Carolina, which has a tradition dating back to the 18th century and is considered the "Handmade Pottery Capital of the United States."
Geography:
- Spruce Pine is three hours, almost directly, west of Seagrove, North Carolina
- Spruce Pine is more inland, northwest side of Charlotte, NC
- Seagrove is nearer the cost, on the northeast side of Charlotte, NC
For more: see this on the blog.
