Total Household Net Worth As A Percent Of GDP 2Q 2014

The following chart is from the CalculatedRisk blog post of September 19, 2014 titled “Fed’s Q2 Flow of Funds:  Household Net Worth at Record High.” It depicts Total Household Net Worth as a Percent of GDP.  The underlying data is from the Federal Reserve’s Z.1 report, “Financial Accounts of the United States“ : (click on chart to enlarge image) As …

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Janet Yellen’s September 17, 2014 Press Conference – Notable Aspects

On Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Janet Yellen gave her scheduled press conference. (video and related materials) Below are Janet Yellen’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 Chairman Yellen’s Press Conference“(preliminary)(pdf) of September …

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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 11, 2014 update (reflecting data through September 5) is -1.284. 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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VIX Weekly And Monthly Charts Since The Year 2000

For reference purposes, below are two charts of the VIX from year 2000 through Friday’s (September 12, 2014) close, which had a closing value of 13.31: Below is the VIX Weekly chart, depicted on a LOG scale, with the 13- and 34-week moving averages, seen in the cyan and red lines, respectively: (click on chart …

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The September 2014 Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Survey

The September Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Survey was published on September 11, 2014.  The headline is “Economists See Overseas Risks as Growth Wild Card.” 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 excerpts: More than …

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Markets During Periods Of Federal Reserve Intervention – September 12, 2014 Update

In the August 9, 2011 post (“QE3 – Various Thoughts“) I posted a chart that depicted the movements of the S&P500, 10-Year Treasury Yield and the Fed Funds rate spanning the periods of various Federal Reserve interventions since 2007. For reference purposes, here is an updated chart from Doug Short’s blog post of September 12 …

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Additional Thoughts Concerning The Economic Situation

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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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 4, 2014 update (reflecting data through August 29) is -1.32. 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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