Monthly Archives: June 2011

Chart of the Day: California’s Volatile Revenue Base

Posted on June 6, 2011 by macromon

The following chart is from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) and is indicative of the state government’s unstable revenue base.   The government receives a higher proportion of its revenue from personal income taxes than most states, which is also … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonds, Budget Deficit, Chart of the Day, Fiscal Policy, Muni Bonds, Muni Market, State and Local Government | Tagged , | 6 Comments

S&P500 Numerology

Posted on June 6, 2011 by macromon

U.S. equities continued their downtrend with the S&P500 closing off 1.08 percent on the day.   The chart below illustrates how the mid-day hard sell-off in Apple took the S&P500 with it (see here for Apple’s leadership role).   The market was … Continue reading →

Posted in Apple, Equities | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Week in Review: The Power of Zero To Be Tested?

Posted on June 5, 2011 by macromon

The S&P500 and Dow Jones Industrials suffered their worst weekly loss of the year, both down 2.3 percent.  The U.S. and European equity indices had bearish outside moves and all major global equity indices we track closed the week below … Continue reading →

Posted in Week in Review | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Global Trend Indicators

Posted on June 4, 2011 by macromon

(click here if tables are not observable)

Posted in Global Stock Performance, Global Trend Indicators | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Weekend Read: Blue Collar Blues

Posted on June 4, 2011 by macromon

For much of 2010, the slumping economy was affecting white-collar, highly educated workers almost as much as it was affecting less educated and blue-collar workers. That’s no longer the case. In recent months, the economy has once again been easier … Continue reading →

Posted in The Weekend Read | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mother Nature Spouts Off

Posted on June 2, 2011 by macromon

Wow!  Some incredible video out of Australia.  Makes you kind of think the earth’s atmosphere is becoming as unstable as the global markets!  Wonder if quantitative easing would help?  (click here if video is observable)

Posted in General Interest, Video | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Lumber Prices: Leading Indicator for Private Nonfarm Payrolls?

Posted on June 2, 2011 by macromon

In the chart below we take a look at the relationship between lumber prices and private nonfarm payrolls.   Clearly they tend to move together on a monthly basis.  One of the transmission mechanisms of monetary policy is the impact … Continue reading →

Posted in Charts, Commodities, Employment, Housing | Tagged , | 4 Comments

First Trading Day of June: 1962-2011

Posted on June 1, 2011 by macromon

Today’s 2.28 percent decline in the S&P500 ranks as the second worst start of June in the past 50 years.   Since 1962 there have 29 up days and 21 down days to start the month.  The S&P closed below the … Continue reading →

Posted in Charts, Equities | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Chart of the Day: Productivity During the Great Recession

Posted on June 1, 2011 by macromon

They always told us that bars do well during tough economic times and are a counter-cyclical industry.  For proof (abv),  go no further than our Chart of the Day from the BLS.  The data measures “productivity in the selected industries … Continue reading →

Posted in Chart of the Day, Economics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment