Four Charts…
...that highlight a decidedly different perspective about where things stand in today's America than the ones Wall Street is so fixated on: Those who are seen as our nation's future are having the hardest time finding jobs "Starting Off on...
Slowing Growth in Income = Slowing Pace of Spending?
Based on the latest data (reported earlier today), the rate of growth in year-on-year personal income has fallen below that of personal spending, with the ratio of the former to the latter hitting its lowest level since June 2010. Simply...
Time for Another Pop Quiz…
(Hopefully, you've been paying attention.) In your opinion, which of the following choices best depicts where things stand in today's America (choose "A," "B," or "C"): A. "All Areas of the Country Show Growth, Fed Reports" (Associated Press) The U.S....
Soft and Hard
In "What's Your Favorite 'On the Ground' Recession Indicator?" California-based author and publisher of the Of Two Minds blog (a longtime favorite of mine), Charles Hugh Smith, writes about an interesting development in his neck of woods: I've sold a...
Lookin’ Real Good
According to a Bloomberg report published earlier, "Jobs Outlook in U.S. Improves for 2012, Business Economists Say," professional prognosticators seem to be growing more optimistic by the day: Employment will improve more this year than economists previously estimated, helping the...
Going Swimmingly
(Image: source) Americans are cutting spending on... pets -- "Dog Owners Seeking Discounts as Petsmart Confronts Bite: Retail" (Bloomberg) Liz Harper’s dog once dined on bowls of Mars Inc.’s Royal Canin tailored to the Boxer breed and packed with the...
Fantasy vs. Reality
The fantasy they want you to believe: "Sales of New Homes Dip, but Reports Suggest a Recovery Is Under Way" (Reuters) New single-family home sales fell in January, but an upward revision to December’s data and a drop in the...
All Over Again
(Image: source) Call me cynic, but it's hard to see this as a good thing: "Junk ETFs Draw Most Cash on Record as High-Yield Hunt Speeds Up" (Bloomberg) Exchange-traded funds for speculative-grade bonds are drawing the biggest inflows on record...
Certain About Nothing
In "US Corporates Shy to Offer Guidance," the Financial Times reports that those who are at the economy's front lines have a less than clear vision of where things are headed: US companies are more uncertain about the future than...
Off in the Distance
If history is any guide, then the following chart from the 2012 Economic Report of the President suggests that any recovery in housing prices, contrary to what Wall Street is saying, is at least 15 to 30 months away [dotted...
One Ugly Picture, a Few Sad Words
The long-term unemployment problem, courtesy of Business Insider: In pictures -- and in words -- Veronica Orozco has been unemployed since June, 2007 Veronica Orozco Nearly five years gao, Orozco was working as a full-time civil engineer in Chicago when...
Not the Whole Story
Not surprisingly, there was plenty of hoopla over today's larger-than-expected drop in first-time applications for unemployment insurance compensation. "U.S. Jobless Claims Drop Points to Spending Gains" (Bloomberg) Americans filed the fewest claims for jobless benefits since 2008, surprising forecasters and...
