Consumer Confidence Surveys – As Of February 15, 2013

Doug Short had a blog post of February 15 (“Michigan Consumer Sentiment Again Beats Expectations“) 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 charts that …

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St. Louis Financial Stress Index – February 14, 2013 Update

On March 28, 2011 I wrote a post (“The STLFSI“) about the  St. Louis Fed’s Financial Stress Index (STLFSI) which is supposed to measure stress in the financial system.  For reference purposes, the most recent chart is seen below.  This chart was last updated on February 14, incorporating data from December 31,1993 to February 8, …

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NFIB Small Business Optimism – February 2013

The February NFIB Small Business Optimism report was released yesterday, February 12.  The headline of the Press Release is “Small-Business Owner Confidence Barely Budges.”  The subtitle is “The New Year begins with low expectation for future growth.” The Index of Small Business Optimism rose .9 points in January to 88.9. Here are some excerpts from …

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The State of the Union Address – Notable Excerpts

I found President Obama’s State of the Union Address last night 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 am highlighting these excerpts …

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Charts Of Equities’ Performance Since March 9, 2009 And January 1, 1980 – February 13, 2013 Update

In the March 9, 2012 post (“Charts of Equities’ Performance Since March 9, 2009 And January 1, 1980“) I highlighted two charts for reference purposes. Below are those two charts, updated through the last current price. The first is a daily chart of the S&P500 (shown in green), as well as five prominent (AAPL, IBM, WFM, …

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Standard & Poor’s S&P500 Earnings Estimates For 2012 & 2013 – As Of February 6, 2013

As many are aware, Standard & Poor’s publishes earnings estimates for the S&P500.  (My posts concerning their estimates can be found under the S&P500 Earnings tag) For reference purposes, the most current estimates are reflected below, and are as of February 6, 2013: Year 2012 estimates add to the following: -From a “bottom up” perspective, operating earnings of $97.20/share …

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Recession Probability Models

There are a variety of economic models that are supposed to predict the probabilities of recession. While I don’t agree with the methodologies employed or probabilities of impending economic weakness as depicted by the following two models, I think the results of these models should be monitored. Please note that each of these models is …

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St. Louis Financial Stress Index – February 7, 2013 Update

On March 28, 2011 I wrote a post (“The STLFSI“) about the  St. Louis Fed’s Financial Stress Index (STLFSI) which is supposed to measure stress in the financial system.  For reference purposes, the most recent chart is seen below.  This chart was last updated on February 7, incorporating data from December 31,1993 to February 1, …

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