finance charts

M1 is the narrowest definition of money. It includes currency and coins, traveller's checks, and checking accounts (so-called demand deposits).  The chart below from the St. Louis Fed shows the relationship between base money that the…

This chart was put together by David Rosenberg of Gluskin Sheff. It shows that wage growth in the U.S. is not keeping pace with inflation. For the statistical recovery to continue sustainably, we will need to either see this trend reversed.…

Actually I hadn't intended to write this post but this week and last week I have seen a few comments on Twitter questioning the government's employment numbers. That made me think it's a good time to review the US Government's seasonal…

Gallup released a poll today showing where the most jobs are being created in the US. It is in the Midwest. The graphic below demonstrates.   Overall 29% of employees polled by Gallup said their company was hiring while only 19%…

Only in Germany and Turkey did tax revenue rise as a percent of GDP last year amongst the twelve countries in the Economist's graphic below. This is testimony to how deep the global downturn was. While it is unclear whether this graphic…

Whether or not we are witnessing the end of the debate in Europe or simply another milestone on the way to The United States of Europe is a question for a dissertation, not a blog. In the meantime, these questions lead us to consider the…

Most of the headlines you’ll see related to the Federal Reserve’s Z.1 Flow of Funds report are focused on the change in household net worth. In the 3rd quarter 2010 report, released yesterday, the change was a positive one: household net…

In the week ending 4 Dec 2010, initial claims for unemployment insurance in the US fell to a seasonally-adjusted figure of 421,000. This is a decrease from the revised 438,000 measured the week prior. The more followed 4-week average figure…

This chart is in German, but most of the terms should be clear. The top half of the chart are the net payers of existing fiscal transfers within the EU, Germany being the largest, followed by Italy, France, and the Netherlands. The biggest…

Ever since the U.S. financial crisis in 2008 there have been many comparisons to Japan and their "lost decade." Most comparisons mark the start of each financial crisis as the end of 1989 for Japan and 2007 for the U.S. We believe each…