Consumer Confidence Surveys – As Of August 31, 2018

The Doug Short site had a post of August 31, 2018 (“Michigan Consumer Sentiment:  August Final Remains Low“) that displays 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 charts that …

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Corporate Profits As A Percentage Of GDP

In the last post (“2nd Quarter 2018 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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2nd Quarter 2018 Corporate Profits

Today’s (August 29, 2018) GDP release (Q2 2018, 2nd Estimate)(pdf) was accompanied by the BLS Corporate Profits report for the 2nd 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 (without …

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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 August 23, 2018 update (reflecting data through August 17, 2018) is -1.239. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other …

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Zillow Q3 2018 Home Price Expectations Survey – Summary & Comments

On August 28, 2018, the Zillow Q3 2018 Home Price Expectations Survey results were released.  This survey is done on a quarterly basis. An excerpt from the press release: Annual home-value appreciation has been faster in 2018 than it was in 2017, and inventory has fallen on a year-over-year basis for 42 consecutive months. These conditions have …

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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 June) from the CalculatedRisk blog post of August 28, 2018 titled “Case-Shiller:  National House Price Index increased 6.2% year-over-year in June”: _________ I post various indicators and indices because I believe they should be carefully …

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Updates Of Economic Indicators August 2018

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 August 2018 Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) updated as of August 27, 2018: The CFNAI, with current reading of .13: source:  Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Chicago Fed National …

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Money Supply Charts Through July 2018

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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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 August 16, 2018 update (reflecting data through August 10, 2018) is -1.259. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other …

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