In a bit of writing that could change the image of The Dismal Science, Economist Todd Buchholz in the WSJ notes that Americans seems to be living well despite headlines forecasting the next Great Depression (This is our version of looking back nostalgically to rough times – sort of like gaining Londoners longing for a return of the Blitz and rationing.) Starbucks Lattes run about $1,200 a barrel, he says. And Americans spent more, not less, at Starbucks last year than the year before, even if the company’s stock is tanking.

He adds a bit about Green enthusiasm, a topic I shall be covering as its affects banks, or bank posturing, in a future issue of Banking Technology. The price premium for a Prius will take 3.5 years to recover in saved petrol costs, Buchholz notes. “The ageless Paul McCartney’s spanking new Lexus LS600H will take him 102 years. Rock on, Sir Paul.”

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