sc 5 days ago Are Imports Bad? The Case of the Blueberry (+ blueberry muffins) Imports – goods produced in other countries but sold “here” (in this case that’s the U.S.). They come up in the news a lot – are they d...
sc Jan 31 Cookie Dough Cheesecake and Asymmetric Information The Cheesecake Factory is huge. Not only does it have the longest menu in history, its restaurants -- which are often two stories -- are...
sc Aug 23, 2020 One a penny, two a penny, … where are all the pennies? (Hot Cross Buns) Where did all of the money go? If you’ve been road tripping recently… or gone to pick up a quick bite at a fast food restaurant, you’ve l...
sc Jul 25, 2020 COVID-19: Lumber, Pools, NYC Suburbs, & Gingerbread Houses: Unexpected Winners during a Pandemic What did everyone do when the pandemic first hit and people were spending hours and hours at home? At first, the baking started (see bak...
sc Jul 12, 2020 COVID-19: Maryland Crabs versus Maine Lobsters: Two crustaceans, Two different problems I read this really interesting article in the NY Times about the Maine lobster industry. The lobster market is struggling due to a drama...
sc Jun 27, 2020 Collusion in the Milk Market + Tres Leches Cake Just a couple of weeks ago, the chicken industry was charged with price fixing. According to the charges, executives were texting each o...
sc Jun 14, 2020 COVID-19: How COVID-19 gave an unexpected boost to Thai Rice Exports (+ Rice Pudding) COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on many industries. It has also been a boon to others, such as Amazon, Netflix, Zoom, Delivery Services, Groc...
sc May 22, 2020 COVID-19: Meat prices are high but farmers are hurting (+Texas Kolaches) We’ve talked about how the increased demand for flour and yeast led to shortages in grocery stores as people stocked up on staples and ha...
sc Apr 24, 2020 COVID-19: Negative Oil Prices & Girl Scout Cookies When I was in elementary school, my mom agreed to be the “cookie mom.” What that meant was that all of the Girl Scout cookies for my Brow...
sc Apr 22, 2020 COVID-19: Foreign Labor & Strawberries Nothing beats biting into a strawberry and having the juices drip down your chin. But have you ever stopped to think about where these s...