Consumer Confidence Surveys – As Of September 28, 2018

The Doug Short site had a post of September 28, 2018 (“Michigan Consumer Sentiment:  September Final Remains High“) 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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Jerome Powell’s September 26, 2018 Press Conference – Notable Aspects

On Wednesday, September 26, 2018 Jerome Powell gave his scheduled September 2018 FOMC Press Conference. (link of video and related materials) Below are Jerome Powell’s comments I found most notable – although I don’t necessarily agree with them – in the order they appear in the transcript.  These comments are excerpted from the “Transcript of …

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Durable Goods New Orders – Long-Term Charts Through August 2018

Many people place emphasis on Durable Goods New Orders as a prominent economic indicator and/or leading economic indicator. For reference, below are two charts depicting this measure. First, from the St. Louis Fed site (FRED), a chart through August 2018, updated on September 27, 2018. This value is $259,592 ($ Millions): (click on charts to …

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Broad-Based Indicators Of Economic Activity

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) and the Aruoba-Diebold-Scotti Business Conditions Index (ADS Index) are two broad-based economic indicators that I regularly feature in this site. The short-term and long-term trends of each continue to be notable. The post on the Doug Short site of September 27, 2018, titled “The Philly Fed ADS Index …

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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 September 20, 2018 update (reflecting data through September 14, 2018) is -1.295. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other …

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Money Supply Charts Through August 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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Updates Of Economic Indicators September 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 September 2018 Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) updated as of September 24, 2018: The CFNAI, with current reading of .18: source:  Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Chicago Fed National Activity …

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The U.S. Economic Situation – September 24, 2018 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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Total Household Net Worth As Of 2Q 2018 – Two Long-Term Charts

For reference purposes, here is Total Household Net Worth from a long-term perspective (from 1945:Q4 through 2018:Q2).  The last value (as of the September 20, 2018 update) is $106.929235 Trillion: (click on each chart to enlarge image) – Also of interest is the same metric presented on a “Percent Change from a Year Ago” basis, …

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