Consumer Confidence Surveys – As Of May 30, 2014

Doug Short had a blog post of May 30, 2014 (“Michigan Consumer Sentiment :  A Disappointing 81.9 May Final“) 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 …

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Corporate Profits As A Percentage Of GDP

In the last post (“1st Quarter 2014 Corporate Profits“) I displayed, for reference purposes, a long-term chart depicting Corporate Profits After Tax. There are many ways to view this measure, both on an absolute as well as relative basis. One relative measure is viewing Corporate Profits as a Percentage of GDP.  I feel that this metric …

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1st Quarter 2014 Corporate Profits

Today’s GDP release (Q1, 2nd Estimate)(pdf) was accompanied by the BLS Corporate Profits report for the 1st Quarter. Of course, there are many ways to adjust and depict overall Corporate Profits.  For reference purposes, here is a chart from the St. Louis Federal Reserve (FRED) showing the Corporate Profits After Tax (last updated May 29, 2014, …

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Chicago Fed National Financial Conditions Index (NFCI)

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 May 29, 2014 update is -1.228. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other related issues, both from the Federal Reserve …

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House Prices Reference Chart

As a reference for long-term house price index trends, below is a chart, updated with the most current data (through March, as well as for the Case-Shiller National Index, which is through Q1), from the CalculatedRisk blog post of May 27 titled “Comment on House Prices: Real Prices, Price-to-Rent Ratio” : (click on chart to …

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Updates Of Economic Indicators May 2014

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 May 2014 Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI)(pdf) updated as of May 22, 2014: – The ECRI WLI (Weekly Leading Index): As of May 16, 2014 (incorporating data through May …

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Current Economic Situation

With regard to our current economic situation, my thoughts can best be described/summarized by the posts found under the 36 “Building Financial Danger” posts. My thoughts concerning our ongoing economic situation – with future implications – can be seen on the page titled “A Special Note On Our Economic Situation,” which has been found near …

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