Scarce Credit

Scarce Credit

  Americans love to spend money. That’s what we do. Resilient American consumers have helped support an economy this year that many believed would slow dramatically. However, as our featured chart this week shows, an important source of consumer spending is now...
Depleted Savings

Depleted Savings

  So far, the aggressive tightening campaign by the Federal Reserve hasn’t really affected the U.S. consumer. And by various measures, household consumption has continued to prop up a surprisingly robust economy. Many agree that the reason behind the consumer’s...
The US-Euro Gap

The US-Euro Gap

  There’s been a lot of chatter this year about the U.S. economy and where it might be headed. The consensus is somewhat mixed, but what does seem clear is that, as of right now, the U.S. is beating the rest of the world as far as economic activity is concerned....
Chill Correlations

Chill Correlations

  This week, we have a neat little chart that shows how much “correlation” there is in the stock market. Correlation, as applied in this case, is a statistical metric that measures how much the average stock is moving in relation to the rest of the stock market....
Let’s Get Real

Let’s Get Real

  This week’s chart shows the yield on 10-year TIPS—Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities—or what is more commonly known as “real yields.” Real, in this sense, means the rate is adjusted for inflation, so it tells us whether the interest rates on government...
Intimidation

Intimidation

  James Carville has a famous quote about the bond market. It goes, “I used to think that if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the President, or the Pope, or as a .400 baseball hitter. But now, I would want to come back as the bond market. You can...