The S&P Case Shiller home price index shows a -3.7% decline from a year ago over 20 metropolitan housing markets and a -3.6% decline for the top 10 housing markets from November 2010. Home prices are back to early 2003 levels. S&P on the continued falling home prices:
People spent less and saved more in December. The Personal Income and Outlays report covers individual income, consumption and savings. Consumer spending was basically flatlined, or -0.02% from last month, while disposable income increased by 0.4%.
Brought to you by the Republican primary -It's not that they say things no one in their right mind would believe. It's the fact people actually vote for them for it.
Good Morning! Rise and Shine! Get that Cup O' Joe...
break out the O.J....hang out with the pooch...time to check out the economic funnies.
Yes, you too can run a factory of slave laborers, working 14 hour shifts, living in dorms with few breaks or food and get stinking rich from them. A new game has come on board called Sweatshop. It's for real, online. Click on the image below to play the Sweatshop game!
Q4 GDP 2011 came in at 2.8%.. Here is the original BEA GDP report. Q3 2011 GDP remained the sameat 1.8%. Real GDP for 2011 is 1.7% for the year. 2010 saw a 3.0% real increase in GDP. Quarterly GDP is reported annualized.
Tin climbed the most in almost four months in London as prospects of low U.S. interest rates at least until 2014 boosted speculation of increased demand for the metal used in mobile phones, plasma screens and cars.
There was a one two three punch by the Federal Reserve. First the FOMC announced uber-low interest rates until 2014.
The Committee expects to maintain a highly accommodative stance for monetary policy. In particular, the Committee decided today to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and currently anticipates that economic conditions--including low rates of resource utilization and a subdued outlook for inflation over the medium run--are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through late 2014.
New Orders in Durable Goods, advance report, increased +3.0% for December 2011. November durable goods new orders jumped by 4.3% and October was a 0.1% increase. This means for all of Q4, we have an increase in durable goods new orders.
In December, New Residential Single Family Home Sales decreased -2.2%, or 307,0000 annualized sales. This report has a ±13.2% monthly margin of error and November single family home sales were significantly revised, from +1.6% to +2.3%.
We've heard many a great speech from President Obama before. Last night's State of the Union was no exception. Here at The Economic Populist we say show me the money. We've heard soaring rhetoric from President Obama too many times, yet behind the words, deeds are either opposite or M.I.A.
Still, Obama gave a lot of lip service to U.S. manufacturing and jobs. To even get U.S. manufacturing on the national policy radar is a feat in and of itself. The actual SOTU transcript is on the White House site with a flurry of videos, social media and round tables to boot. Can't say this administration suffers from a lack of word generation!
That said, we all take President Obama at this point with a strong grain of salt. We've been so disappointed already.
Economic Policy Institute Economist Robert Scott noted China's currency manipulation was sorely absent from SOTU. Yet also noted the administration's hands are often tied by Congress:
Kudos to him for continuing to highlight this important issue, but he failed to mention the main cause of our manufacturing woes in the first place: currency manipulation.
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