Food Stamps As Of May 31, 2012

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This post is an update to previous posts concerning food stamps.  The program is officially called “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” or SNAP.  As stated on the SNAP website, “As of Oct. 1, 2008, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the new name for the federal Food Stamp Program.” The data was last updated May 31, 2012, reflecting March 2012 levels. …

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St. Louis Financial Stress Index – June 14, 2012 Update

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On March 28, 2011 I wrote a post (“The STLFSI“) about the  STLFSI (St. Louis Fed’s Financial Stress Index) 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 June 14, incorporating data from December 31,1993 to June 8, …

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NFIB Small Business Optimism – May 2012

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The May NFIB Small Business Optimism report was released on June 12.  The headline of the Press Release is “Small-Business Optimism Index Stagnates:  No Progress Made for Small-Business Sector in May.” The Index of Small Business Optimism fell by .1 point in May, to 94.4. Here are some excerpts from the report that I find …

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June 2012 Duke/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey – Notable Excerpts

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On June 6 the June Duke/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey (pdf) was released.  It contains a variety of statistics regarding how CFOs view business and economic conditions. In this CFO Survey, I found the following to be notable excerpts: U.S. finance chiefs plan to expand workforce by 2.5 percent, on average over the next year. Nearly 30 …

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Family Finances – Report Covering 2007-2010

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Yesterday, the Federal Reserve released a report titled “Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2007 to 2010:  Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances.” (pdf)  This report is issued every three years. The report is 80 pages long.  However, some of the summary statistics have been widely reported, such as in today’s Wall Street Journal …

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S&P500 Price Projections – Livingston Survey June 2012

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The June 7, 2012  Livingston Survey (pdf) contains, among its various forecasts, a S&P500 forecast.  It shows the following price forecast for the dates shown: June 29, 2012   1325.4 Dec. 31, 2012    1393 June 28, 2013   1449.2 Dec. 31, 2013    1490.3 These figures represent the median value across the 32 forecasters on …

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