Most Popular
1. Banking Crisis is Stocks Bull Market Buying Opportunity - Nadeem_Walayat
2.The Crypto Signal for the Precious Metals Market - P_Radomski_CFA
3. One Possible Outcome to a New World Order - Raymond_Matison
4.Nvidia Blow Off Top - Flying High like the Phoenix too Close to the Sun - Nadeem_Walayat
5. Apple AAPL Stock Trend and Earnings Analysis - Nadeem_Walayat
6.AI, Stocks, and Gold Stocks – Connected After All - P_Radomski_CFA
7.Stock Market CHEAT SHEET - - Nadeem_Walayat
8.US Debt Ceiling Crisis Smoke and Mirrors Circus - Nadeem_Walayat
9.Silver Price May Explode - Avi_Gilburt
10.More US Banks Could Collapse -- A Lot More- EWI
Last 7 days
Stock Market Volatility (VIX) - 25th Mar 24
Stock Market Investor Sentiment - 25th Mar 24
The Federal Reserve Didn't Do Anything But It Had Plenty to Say - 25th Mar 24
Stock Market Breadth - 24th Mar 24
Stock Market Margin Debt Indicator - 24th Mar 24
It’s Easy to Scream Stocks Bubble! - 24th Mar 24
Stocks: What to Make of All This Insider Selling- 24th Mar 24
Money Supply Continues To Fall, Economy Worsens – Investors Don’t Care - 24th Mar 24
Get an Edge in the Crypto Market with Order Flow - 24th Mar 24
US Presidential Election Cycle and Recessions - 18th Mar 24
US Recession Already Happened in 2022! - 18th Mar 24
AI can now remember everything you say - 18th Mar 24
Bitcoin Crypto Mania 2024 - MicroStrategy MSTR Blow off Top! - 14th Mar 24
Bitcoin Gravy Train Trend Forecast 2024 - 11th Mar 24
Gold and the Long-Term Inflation Cycle - 11th Mar 24
Fed’s Next Intertest Rate Move might not align with popular consensus - 11th Mar 24
Two Reasons The Fed Manipulates Interest Rates - 11th Mar 24
US Dollar Trend 2024 - 9th Mar 2024
The Bond Trade and Interest Rates - 9th Mar 2024
Investors Don’t Believe the Gold Rally, Still Prefer General Stocks - 9th Mar 2024
Paper Gold Vs. Real Gold: It's Important to Know the Difference - 9th Mar 2024
Stocks: What This "Record Extreme" Indicator May Be Signaling - 9th Mar 2024
My 3 Favorite Trade Setups - Elliott Wave Course - 9th Mar 2024
Bitcoin Crypto Bubble Mania! - 4th Mar 2024
US Interest Rates - When WIll the Fed Pivot - 1st Mar 2024
S&P Stock Market Real Earnings Yield - 29th Feb 2024
US Unemployment is a Fake Statistic - 29th Feb 2024
U.S. financial market’s “Weimar phase” impact to your fiat and digital assets - 29th Feb 2024
What a Breakdown in Silver Mining Stocks! What an Opportunity! - 29th Feb 2024
Why AI will Soon become SA - Synthetic Intelligence - The Machine Learning Megatrend - 29th Feb 2024
Keep Calm and Carry on Buying Quantum AI Tech Stocks - 19th Feb 24

Market Oracle FREE Newsletter

How to Protect your Wealth by Investing in AI Tech Stocks

The Mirage Called a “U.S. Economic Recovery”

Economics / Economic Recovery Dec 18, 2013 - 10:03 AM GMT

By: DailyGainsLetter

Economics

Mohammad Zulfiqar writes: “Just give up being so negative; there’s economic growth in the U.S. economy.”

These were the exact words of my good old friend, Mr. Speculator. Over the weekend, when I received a call from him, he added, “You see the average American is better off than before. There are jobs; and no matter where you look, you won’t find much negativity. Look at the stock markets; they probably will show a 30% increase for 2013.”


Sadly, Mr. Speculator has become a victim of the false assumptions that seem to prevail in the markets these days. He’s basing his conclusion on just a few indicators that he looked at from just the surface, not looking much into the details. For example, the stock market doesn’t really portray the real image of the U.S. economy, but it’s used as one of the indicators.

Here’s what is really happening in the U.S. economy that keeps me skeptical.

First of all, jobs growth in the U.S. economy has been center stage for some time. I agree that the unemployment rate has gone down, but I ask where the jobs were created. In November, for example, we saw the unemployment rate in the U.S. economy reach seven percent, and it sent a wave of optimism across the mainstream. Sadly, a major portion of the jobs created for that month were in the low-wage-paying industries. Mind you; this has been the trend for some time now. (Source: “Employment Situation Summary,” Bureau of Labor Statistics web site, December 6, 2013.) In periods of real economic growth, you want equal jobs creation, which we are clearly missing in the U.S. economy.

Secondly, Americans really aren’t better off than they were before—incomes are declining. Consider this: between 2007 and 2012, the real median household income in the U.S. economy has fallen by more than eight percent. In 2007, the median household income registered at $55,627. In 2012, it declined to $51,017. (Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis web site, last accessed December 13, 2013.) In times of real economic growth, you want to see increasing incomes.

Thirdly, more and more individuals in the U.S. economy are seeking the help of food stamps. In September, there were more than 47.3 million Americans on food stamps. This number has grown significantly over the past few years. (Source: United States Department of Agriculture, “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service web site, December 6, 2013.)

Last but not least, over the past few years, consumer confidence in the U.S. economy has increased, but it is nowhere close to where it was before the financial crisis. Take a look at the chart below of the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment index, which is an indicator of consumer confidence in the U.S. economy.


Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

To me, what I have mentioned aren’t indicators of economic growth in the U.S. economy, and this is what keeps me skeptical. On the surface, the indicators are creating a sort of mirage that suggests a false truth—the reality of which is very unpleasant.

For investors, this means the key stock indices, whose performance relies on the overall state of the economy, are running beyond reality. They may face turbulence ahead if the economic factors remain bleak. Investors seeking to profit from the decline in key stock indices may want to look at exchange-traded funds (ETFs), like the ProShares Short Dow30 (NYSEArca/DOG).

This article The Mirage Called a “U.S. Economic Recovery” was originally published at Daily Gains Letter

© 2013 Copyright Daily Gains Letter - All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.


© 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.


Post Comment

Only logged in users are allowed to post comments. Register/ Log in