The Daily Feather — R.O.Y.G.B.I.V.

“…if the Sun’s Light consisted of but one sort of Rays, there would be but one Colour in the whole World…”

Sir Isaac Newton, Opticks

In the 1660s, Sir Isaac Newton embarked upon a series of experiments with sunlight and prisms. The renowned English physicist and mathematician demonstrated that clear white light was comprised of seven visible colors. By scientifically establishing the visible spectrum, Newton laid the path for others to experiment with color. What followed were breakthroughs in optics, physics, chemistry, perception, and the study of color in nature. Released in 1704, Opticks documents Newton’s gifting the world with the R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. we grew up with -- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. As for physiological attributions, we see colors in their stunning glory thanks to cells in our eyes called ‘cones,’ which are sensitive to the wavelengths found in the visible spectrum.

There were neither reds nor greens on the visible spectrum of macroeconomics Tuesday given the docket was empty. Add to that, we’re in Federal Reserve blackout ahead of next Wednesday’s FOMC and Powell’s presser. That doesn’t mean we’re oblivious to the interconnectedness of the global economy and news from the European Central Bank of late to say nothing of the continuing bloodbath in Deutschland’s industrial sector.