CNBC: Americans' net worth fell at the highest level since the financial crisis in the fourth quarter of 2018 as sliding stock market prices ate into the household balance sheet. Net worth dropped to $104.3 trillion as the year came to an end, a decrease of $3.73 trillion, according to figures released Thursday by the Federal Reserve. The fall amounted to a drop of 3.4 percent...
ECONODAY: The late-month end of the government shutdown, or at least temporary end, had only limited impact on the consumer sentiment index which ended January at 91.2, up 5 tenths from mid-month but down a very steep 7.1 points from December....
ECONODAY: Fourth-quarter GDP forecasts are being shaved after an unexpectedly weak verdict for December holiday sales. Retail sales fell 1.2 percent in December for the sharpest monthly decline of the expansion, since September 2009 and the last recession. The twist in the data is that vehicle sales, not really part of the holiday season, contributed strongly to December's results and excluding which sales fell 1.8 percent....
ECONODAY: Price data are subdued and at or very near expectations. Core PCE prices ticked 0.2 percent higher for a second straight month in December with the year-on-year rate also unchanged for a second straight month, at 1.9 percent. Overall PCE prices edged 0.1 percent higher on the month for a December year-on-year showing of only 1.7 percent, down 1 tenth from November....
The financial metric that rules the world is called Total Credit Market Debt, or as it's now referred to, All Sectors; Debt Securities and Loans; Liability, Level...
If it ain't broke, don't fix it...
ECONODAY: Growth in consumer credit remains steady, up $16.6 billion in December following an upward revised $22.4 billion in November. Nonrevolving credit, where student loans and vehicle financing are tracked, rose $14.8 billion against a $17.6 billion increase in the prior month. But revolving credit, here tracking credit card debt, rose only $1.7 billion vs November's $4.8 billion. Given the absence of December retail sales data, which have been delayed due to the government shutdown, the slowing in revolving credit may hint at less aggressive purchases during the final month of holiday shopping....
Curvilinear Wave Analysis of economic data...
