Our Current Economic “Man-Made Problems”

On September 8, President Obama gave the Address by the President to a Joint Session of Congress.  It concerned the economy and the American Jobs Act.  (I highlighted what I believed to be the most notable excerpts in a September 9 blog post titled “President Obama’s Address of September 8 2011“) In the Address, President …

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Gold’s Uptrend Since 2009

In my August 25 post (“Gold And Deflationary Pressures“) I spoke of the correction in Gold and its broader economic implications.  At that time Gold was at $1726/oz (December futures.) Now, the December Gold futures are at $1645.1/oz.  If one views Gold’s ascent from early 2009, one can see a rising trendline – one that …

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Updates On Economic Indicators September 2011

Here is an update on various indicators that are supposed to predict and/or depict economic activity.  These indicators have been discussed in previous blog posts: The September Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI)(pdf) updated as of September 26, 2011: – The Consumer Metrics Institute Contraction Watch: – The USA TODAY/IHS Global Insight Economic Outlook Index: An excerpt …

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The S&P500 Vs. The Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index – September 2011

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, LOG scale, since 2006: (click on chart to enlarge image)(chart courtesy of StockCharts.com) – It …

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MacroMarkets September 2011 Home Price Expectations Survey

Yesterday (September 21) MacroMarkets released its September 2011 Home Price Expectations Survey (pdf) results.  This survey is now done on a quarterly basis. The accompanying chart is seen below: (click on chart image to enlarge) As one can see from the above chart, the average expectation is that not only has the residential real estate market …

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Hunger In The Chicago Area

Yesterday CBSChicago.com had a story titled “Study Finds 1 in 5 Chicagoans Are Hungry.” Although the entire article is worthwhile, I find the following excerpts to be most notable (and disconcerting): The Greater Chicago Food Depository has, for the first time, done a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown of hunger in the Chicago area. As WBBM’s Mike Krauser …

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Food Stamps As Of September 2011

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 1, 2011, reflecting June 2011 levels. …

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Year-End 2011 S&P500 Price & Earnings Forecasts

Yesterday (September 19) The Wall Street Journal had an article titled “Wall Street’s Optimism Fades.” The article contains a variety of forecasts and commentary regarding the stock market and earnings. Here are two excerpts of forecasts: Goldman Sachs last Wednesday ratcheted down its end-of-year prediction for the S&P 500 to 1250, from its previous forecast …

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