Month: December 2016

Median Household Income Chart

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I have written many blog posts concerning the worrisome trends in income and earnings. Doug Short, in his December 30, 2016 post titled “Real Median Household Income:  Slow Growth in 2016” produced the chart below.  It is based upon data from Sentier Research, and it shows both nominal and real median household incomes since 2000, as …

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Chicago Fed National Financial Conditions Index (NFCI)

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The St. Louis Fed’s Financial Stress Index (STLFSI) is one index that is supposed to measure stress in the financial system.  Its reading as of the December 29, 2016 update (reflecting data through December 23) is -1.134. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other related …

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Consumer Confidence Surveys – As Of December 27, 2016

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Doug Short had a blog post of December 27, 2016 (“Consumer Confidence Increases in December“) in which he presents the latest Conference Board Consumer Confidence and Thomson/Reuters University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index charts.  They are presented below: (click on charts to enlarge images) – There are a few aspects of the above charts that I find …

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The U.S. Economic Situation – December 23, 2016 Update

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Perhaps the main reason that I write of our economic situation is that I continue to believe, based upon various analyses, that our economic situation is in many ways misunderstood.  While no one likes to contemplate a future rife with economic adversity, current and future economic problems must be properly recognized and rectified if high-quality, …

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Updates Of Economic Indicators December 2016

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Here is an update of various indicators that are supposed to predict and/or depict economic activity. These indicators have been discussed in previous blog posts: The December 2016 Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) updated as of December 22, 2016: (current reading of CFNAI is -.27; current reading of CFNAI-MA3 is -.14): – The ECRI WLI …

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Durable Goods New Orders – Long-Term Charts Through November 2016

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Many people place emphasis on Durable Goods New Orders as a prominent economic indicator and/or leading economic indicator. For reference, below are two charts depicting this measure. First, from the St. Louis Fed site (FRED), a chart through November 2016, updated on December 22, 2016. This value is $228,171 ($ Millions): (click on charts to …

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Chicago Fed National Financial Conditions Index (NFCI)

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The St. Louis Fed’s Financial Stress Index (STLFSI) is one index that is supposed to measure stress in the financial system.  Its reading as of the December 15, 2016 update (reflecting data through December 9) is -1.18. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other related …

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