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 13, 2018 update (reflecting data through September 7, 2018) is -1.267. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other …

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September 2018 Duke/CFO Global Business Outlook Survey – Notable Excerpts

On September 12, 2018 the September 2018 Duke/CFO Global Business Outlook was released.  It contains a variety of statistics regarding how CFOs view business and economic conditions. In this CFO survey press release, I found the following to be the most notable excerpts – although I don’t necessarily agree with them: The proportion of firms indicating …

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Charts Indicating Economic Weakness – September 2018

U.S. Economic Indicators Throughout this site there are many discussions of economic indicators.  At this time, the readings of various indicators are especially notable.  This post is the latest in a series of posts indicating U.S. economic weakness or a notably low growth rate. While many U.S. economic indicators – including GDP – are indicating economic growth, others …

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The September 2018 Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Survey

The September 2018 Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Survey was published on September 13, 2018.  The headline is “Most Economists See Tariff Effects on U.S. Economy As Limited.” I found numerous items to be notable – although I don’t necessarily agree with them – both within the article and in the “Economist Q&A” section. Two …

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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 6, 2018 update (reflecting data through August 31, 2018) is -1.308. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other …

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NFIB Small Business Optimism – August 2018

The August NFIB Small Business Optimism report was released today, September 11, 2018. The headline of the Economic Trends report is “Small Business Optimism Shatters Record Previously Set 35 Years Ago.” The Index of Small Business Optimism increased in August by .9 points to 108.8. Here are some excerpts that I find particularly notable (but …

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Building Financial Danger – September 10, 2018 Update

My overall analysis indicates a continuing elevated and growing level of financial danger which contains many worldwide and U.S.-specific “stresses” of a very complex nature. I have written numerous posts in this site concerning both ongoing and recent “negative developments.”  These developments, as well as other exceedingly problematic conditions, have presented a highly perilous economic environment …

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Average Hourly Earnings Trends

I have written many blog posts concerning the worrisome trends in income and earnings. Along these lines, one of the measures showing disconcerting trends is that of hourly earnings. While the concept of hourly earnings can be defined and measured in a variety of ways, below are a few charts that I believe broadly illustrate problematic …

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U-3 And U-6 Unemployment Rate Long-Term Reference Charts As Of September 7, 2018

Shortly after each monthly employment report I have been posting a continual series titled “3 Critical Unemployment Charts.” Of course, there are many other employment charts that can be displayed as well. For reference purposes, below are the U-3 and U-6 Unemployment Rate charts from a long-term historical perspective.  Both charts are from the St. …

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