Food Stamps As Of September 28, 2012

This post is an update to previous posts concerning food stamps.  The program is officially called “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” or SNAP.  As stated on the SNAP website, “As of Oct. 1, 2008, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the new name for the federal Food Stamp Program.” The data was last updated September 28, 2012, reflecting July 2012 levels. …

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The S&P500 Vs. The Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index – October 17, 2012

Starting on May 3, 2010 I have written posts concerning the notable divergence that has occurred between the S&P500 and Chinese (Shanghai Composite) stock markets. The chart below illustrates this divergence; it shows the S&P500 vs. the Shanghai Composite on a daily basis, since 2006: (click on chart to enlarge image)(chart courtesy of StockCharts.com; chart creation and annotation by …

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The October 2012 Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Survey

The October Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Survey was published on October 12, 2012.  The headline is “Sluggish Growth Seen Into Next Year.” An excerpt: On average, the 48 respondents, not all of whom answer every question, expect the jobless rate will still be at 7.8% in June of next year—matching the September figure released …

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St. Louis Financial Stress Index – October 11, 2012 Update

On March 28, 2011 I wrote a post (“The STLFSI“) about the  STLFSI (St. Louis Fed’s Financial Stress Index) which is supposed to measure stress in the financial system.  For reference purposes, the most recent chart is seen below.  This chart was last updated on October 11, incorporating data from December 31,1993 to October 5, …

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Building Financial Danger – October 11, 2012 Update

On October 17, 2011 I wrote a post titled “Danger Signs In The Stock Market, Financial System And Economy.”  This post is a brief 17th update to that post. My overall analysis indicates a continuing elevated and growing level of danger which contains  many worldwide and U.S.-specific “stresses” of a very complex nature. I have written numerous …

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NFIB Small Business Optimism – September 2012

The September NFIB Small Business Optimism report was released today, October 9.  The headline of the Press Release is “Hiring Plans Plunge:  Small Business Optimism Drops .1, Expectations for the Future Remain Low.” The Index of Small Business Optimism fell by .1 point in September to 92.8. Here are some excerpts from the Press Release …

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CEO Confidence Surveys 3Q 2012 – Notable Excerpts

On October 4, The Conference Board released its 3rd Quarter CEO Confidence Survey.   The overall measure of CEO Confidence was at 42, down from 47 in the second quarter. Notable excerpts from this October 4 Press Release include: Says Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board: “This latest report reflects ongoing concern about …

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U-3 And U-6 Unemployment Rate Long-Term Reference Charts As Of October 5, 2012

Shortly after each monthly employment report I have been posting a continual series titled “3 Critical Unemployment Charts.” Of course, there are many other employment charts that can be displayed as well. For reference purposes, below are the U-3 and U-6 Unemployment Rate charts from a long-term historical perspective.  Both charts are from the St. …

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3 Critical Unemployment Charts – October 2012

As I have commented previously, as in the October 6, 2009 post (“A Note About Unemployment Statistics”), in my opinion the official methodologies used to measure the various job loss and unemployment statistics do not provide an accurate depiction; they serve to understate the severity of unemployment. However, even if one chooses to look at the …

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