In other news, ADP estimated that the economy added 202,000 jobs in December, but the Labor Department's official figure is much lower at 145,000 jobs.
This is the second month in a row there's been wide disparity between estimates and official figures. I haven't seen a good explanation for this.
Meanwhile, the Trump regime has announced new sanctions on Iran's metal industry in response to their retaliatory attack on American bases in Iraq. And the Iran nuclear dear falls even further out of sight.
Finally, Boeing has released internal messages from employees who've had less than flattering thoughts about the company's 737 Max program.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co has released hundreds of internal messages that contained harshly critical comments about the development of the 737 MAX, including one that said the plane was “designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys”.
The messages, disclosed on Thursday, show attempts to duck regulatory scrutiny with employees disparaging the plane, the company, the Federal Aviation Administration and foreign aviation regulators.
In an instant messaging exchange on Feb. 8, 2018 - when the plane was in the air and eight months before the first of two fatal crashes, an employee asks another: “Would you put your family on a MAX simulator trained aircraft? I wouldn’t.”
This is what happens when our official regulatory policy is that companies should police themselves.
Company executives don't even listen to their own employees who find flaws and errors, so how could they ever police themselves?
The pattern of behavior exposed at Boeing seems criminal to me, if not criminal to victims killed in plane crashes it's at least criminal to shareholders of a publicly traded company. It's all of the above if you ask me.