Monthly Archive for October, 2008

Compare 12 Bear Markets (S&P 500) Aug 1929 – Oct 2008

Published on October 26, 2008 in Financial markets, Line Graph, S&P 500 and United States. Closed

Screenshot from a New York Times Interactive Graphic How This Bear Market Compares by Amanda Cox, Xaquín G.V. and David Leonhardt that shows the percentage drop in the S&P 500 during the last 12 bear markets. The current market drop is highlighted in red, while the drop after 1929 is highlighted in orange.

{Click on the image to take a closer look}
Gasoline Inflation magnifying glass

[tags]United States, S&P 500, Bear Markets[/tags]

Popularity: 5% [?]

Money Supply Ratio: Jan 1958 – Sep 2008

Published on October 22, 2008 in Federal Reserve, Financial markets, Line Graph and United States. 1 Comment

A graph suggested by a reader, Chuck Beach, pointing out the historical high of the ratio of two measurements of the Money Supply M2/M1

M1 = is the narrowest measurement of the amount of money in circulation and money held in current (checking) accounts.

M2 = M1 plus money held in savings account or deposit which are not immediately available.

Money Supply Ratio (M2/M1)

Data from the Federal Reserve

Popularity: 3% [?]

Credit Swaps Insurance Market: 2000-2007

Published on October 19, 2008 in Financial markets, Line Graph and United States. 1 Comment

From a NY Times article on Credit Swaps from February 2008. It is worth reading for its primer on credit swaps and how it predicts the events of the current credit crisis.

Interest Rates and Fed Funds

[tags]Credit Swaps[/tags]

Popularity: 2% [?]

Flashback-Economy

Published on October 13, 2008 in Ideas & Inspiration. Closed

Here is a site that gives you an snapshot of the economy for the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. For example when I was born:

1971

Federal spending: $210,170,000,000
Federal debt: $408,200,000,000
Inflation: 5.7%
Unemployment:  4.9%

Median Household Income:  $9,028

Cost of a new home:  $28,300
Cost of a first-class stamp:  $0.06   ($0.08 as of 5/16/71)
Cost of a gallon of regular gas:  $0.36
Cost of a dozen eggs:  $0.53
Cost of a gallon of Milk: $1.18

Popularity: 2% [?]

Six month change in foreclosures: August 2008

Published on October 12, 2008 in Choropleth Map, Federal Reserve, Interactive Graphic and United States. Closed

Screenshot from Dynamic Maps of Nonprime Mortgage Conditions in the United States New York Federal Reserve showing six month change in foreclosures: from March – August 2008.

Red – Conditions have worsened
Green – Conditions have improved
Yellow – No change (within 0.05%)

Interest Rates and Fed Funds

[tags]United States, Foreclosures[/tags]

Popularity: 3% [?]

Difference between US 3-Month T-bills vs Fed Funds: 1956-2008

Published on October 6, 2008 in Area Graph, Federal Reserve, Financial markets, Interest Rates and United States. 3 Comments

I plotted the historical spread between Effective Fed Funds rate and US 3-Month T-bills back to 1956 using the weekly average. This a companion graph to Anatomy of a Financial Crisis: September 2008

{Click on the image to take a closer look}
Interest Rates and Fed Funds magnifying glass

Data from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[tags]United States, Interest Rate, Fed Funds[/tags]

Popularity: 3% [?]