St. Louis Financial Stress Index – July 12, 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 July 12, incorporating data from December 31,1993 to July 6, …

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CEO Confidence Surveys 2Q 2012 – Notable Excerpts

On July 5, The Conference Board released its 2nd Quarter CEO Confidence Survey.   The overall measure of CEO Confidence was at 47, down from 63 in the first quarter. Notable excerpts from this July 5 Press Release include: CEOs’ assessment of current economic conditions has turned considerably negative. Only 17 percent claim conditions have improved compared …

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Building Financial Danger – July 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 14th 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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Financial Stocks – July 11, 2012 Update Concerning Poor “Price Action”

On June 29, 2011 I wrote a blog post titled “Financial Stocks – Notable Price Action.” Although financial stocks have increased in price in 2012, I continue to believe that the longer-term “price action” of various financial stocks is disconcerting.  I view the poor performance of these financial and brokerage stocks to be one indicator …

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Financial Stocks – Relative Price To Overall Stock Market – July 10, 2012 Update

In the June 29, 2011 post (“Financial Stocks – Notable Price Action”) I wrote the following: I think that the relatively poor “price action” of various financial stocks is notable.  It is one of many current indications that overall stock market health is not as strong as a casual glance at the major indices would …

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U-3 And U-6 Unemployment Rate Long-Term Reference Charts As Of July 6, 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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