America's Economic Future – A Discussion By Ted Kavadas
Doug Short had a blog post of January 30, 2015 (“Michigan Consumer Sentiment Remains at an Eleven-Year High“) 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 …
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 January 22, 2015 update (reflecting data through January 16) is -.807. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other related …
Many people place emphasis on Durable Goods New Orders as a prominent economic indicator and/or leading economic indicator. For reference, below are charts depicting this measure. First, from the St. Louis Fed site (FRED), a chart through December, updated on January 27, 2015. This value is 230,525 ($ Millions) : (click on charts to enlarge …
This post provides an update to various past posts discussing deflation and “deflationary pressures.” I have extensively written of “deflationary pressures” and deflation as I continue to believe that U.S. deflationary conditions are on the horizon, and that such deflationary conditions will cause, as well as accompany, inordinate economic hardship. [note: to clarify, for purposes …
I have written many blog posts concerning the worrisome trends in income and earnings. Doug Short, in his January 26, 2015 post titled “Real Median Household Income Rose a Significant 1.0% in December” produced the chart below. It is based upon data from Sentier Research, and it shows both nominal and real median household incomes since 2000, …
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 January 2015 Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) updated as of January 23, 2015: – The ECRI WLI (Weekly Leading Index): As of January 23, 2015 (incorporating data through January …
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 …
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, …
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 January 22, 2015 update (reflecting data through January 16) is -.807. Of course, there are a variety of other measures and indices that are supposed to measure financial stress and other related …
I found President Obama’s State of the Union Address last night (January 20, 2015) to contain some noteworthy comments. While I could comment extensively on many parts of the speech, for now I will indicate excerpts that I found most relevant with regard to the economic situation, and may comment upon them at a future point. I …