Consumer Confidence Surveys – As Of April 29, 2016

Doug Short had a blog post of April 29, 2016 (“Michigan Consumer Sentiment:  April Final Continue Slow Decline“) 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 …

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The U.S. Economic Situation – April 29, 2016 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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Employment Cost Index (ECI) – First Quarter 2016

While the concept of Americans’ incomes can be defined in a number of ways, many prominent measures continue to show disconcerting trends. One prominent measure is the Employment Cost Index (ECI). Here is a description from the BLS document titled “The Employment Cost Index:  what is it?“: The Employment Cost Index (ECI) is a quarterly …

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Median Household Income Chart

I have written many blog posts concerning the worrisome trends in income and earnings. Doug Short, in his April 28, 2016 post titled “March Real Median Household Income Inches Upward” 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 depicted. …

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Real GDP Chart Since 1947 With Trendline – 1st Quarter 2016

For reference purposes, below is a chart from Doug Short’s “Q1 GDP Advance Estimate at .5%, Worse Than Mainstream Forecasts” post of April 28, 2016, depicting Real GDP, with a trendline, as depicted.  This chart reflects the Gross Domestic Product Q1 2016 Advance Estimate (pdf) of April 28, 2016: _____ The Special Note summarizes my overall thoughts about our economic …

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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 April 21, 2016 update (reflecting data through April 15) is -.862. 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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Money Supply Charts Through March 2016

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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