Consumer Confidence Surveys – As Of May 29, 2015

Doug Short had a blog post of May 29, 2015 (“Michigan Consumer Up from Preliminary , but still Below April 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 …

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Corporate Profits As A Percentage Of GDP

In the last post (“1st Quarter 2015 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 …

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1st Quarter 2015 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, 2015, …

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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 28, 2015 update (reflecting data through May 22) is -1.09. 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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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) from the CalculatedRisk blog post of May 26, 2015 titled “Real Prices and Price-to-Rent Ratio in March”: (click on chart to enlarge image) _____ The Special Note summarizes my overall thoughts about our economic situation SPX …

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Money Supply Charts Through April 2015

For reference purposes, below are two sets of charts depicting growth in the money supply. The first shows the MZM (Money Zero Maturity), defined in FRED as the following: M2 less small-denomination time deposits plus institutional money funds. Money Zero Maturity is calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Here is the “MZM …

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Durable Goods New Orders – Long-Term Charts Through April 2015

Many people place emphasis on Durable Goods New Orders as a prominent economic indicator and/or leading economic indicator. For reference, below are charts depicting this measure. First, from the St. Louis Fed site (FRED), a chart through April, updated on May 26, 2015. This value is $235,527 ($ Millions): (click on charts to enlarge images) …

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Updates Of Economic Indicators May 2015

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 2015 Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) updated as of May 21, 2015: – The ECRI WLI (Weekly Leading Index): As of May 22, 2015 (incorporating data through May …

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The U.S. Economic Situation – May 22, 2015 Update

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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