employment is still down though. it's coming back but really, really slow.

This is bad news...for Obama.

Kazan: and it's made even slower by the debt hangover (credit cards, car loans, unaffordable mortgages) that is depressing consumer demand combined with the depressed average buying power caused by wage stagnation (That the debt bing was hiding pre-crash)

And the compounded effects of 30 years of stagnant wages, part of which is the debt hangover, aren't helping things any either.

Jan 97... Republican congress, yes? Jan 12... Republican congress, yes?

Well, it certainly doesn't have anything to do with the calm, rational manner in which Mr. Obama has been trying to manage and guide things, despite spiteful Republican intransigence - because he's a secret socialist who hates America. That's what the Fox News and the Wall Street Urinal told me.

Clearly due to the sensible fiscal policies of Edgar the Ætheling. Thanks Eddie!

I'm up about 5% since November so yeah, not bad. I don't fault or credit Fartbongo and/or the Republitards for it.

Stocks are socialist. What part of collective ownership do you not understand?

pudding7: SkyFlyer: Jan 97... Republican congress, yes? Jan 12... Republican congress, yes?

So you're saying the president doesn't have anything to do with the economy? I wonder what this presidential race is going to focus on then....

Wastin' some more gol-durned terrorists!

FlashHarry: nearly two years of solid private-sector job growth, a dow that's nearly double its low in march of '09... i'd say that the economy is looking pretty good

Sure, for rich stockholders certainly...

Kazan: WhyteRaven74: And the compounded effects of 30 years of stagnant wages, part of which is the debt hangover, aren't helping things any either.

Kazan: the depressed average buying power caused by wage stagnation

i believe i already mentioned that :P

You're forgetting the decades of wage stagnation

Finally all that time I spent sacrificing virgins to the elder Gods is finally paying off.

onibara: Kazan: WhyteRaven74: And the compounded effects of 30 years of stagnant wages, part of which is the debt hangover, aren't helping things any either.

Kazan: the depressed average buying power caused by wage stagnation

i believe i already mentioned that :P

You're forgetting the decades of wage stagnation

Not to mention that, you know, most people's take-home pay has been flat or even declining for several decades (adjusting for inflation.)

Silly Liberals, this is obviously the latest Reagan Recovery.

All praise be to Reagan.

WhyteRaven74: Kazan: and it's made even slower by the debt hangover (credit cards, car loans, unaffordable mortgages) that is depressing consumer demand combined with the depressed average buying power caused by wage stagnation (That the debt bing was hiding pre-crash)

And the compounded effects of 30 years of stagnant wages, part of which is the debt hangover, aren't helping things any either.

Came in to say this. Even if employment is headed in the right direction, wages and the value of wages versus staple costs are still bad. But those are systemic issues, and aren't going to be fixed by the results of a presidential election.

"We are living in the Obama economy." - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

hurdboy: Smeggy Smurf: I'm up about 5% since November so yeah, not bad. I don't fault or credit Fartbongo and/or the Republitards for it.

What about Uncle Ben?

There's a reason oil and gold are also both way back up....

I think I'd rather have the rice guy. He could never screw that up

This is good for the top 10% that own over 80% of the markets as of 2007. I looked for a chart for 2011 but I got bored as soon as I hit search.

Volume precedes price. Almost always. And January had one of the lowest volume levels in a decade. Expect the S&P to give up a ton of ground between now and June.

I just went pee, that's what caused this.

I blame Justin Bieber.

Hobodeluxe: employment is still down though. it's coming back but really, really slow.

They are never coming back. Thirty years of outsourcing, laboring saving tech, and automation have both boasted productivity and eliminated millions upon millions jobs. What part of the economy is going to absorb these millions of workers? Education (mostly public), Healthcare (largely public), Industry (I'm sure the stock holders are falling over themselves to replace the robots back with people), service industry (the internet killed the suburban mall)? You are going to have subsidize salaries (workfare), healthcare, and yes, volunteer level jobs, or you never ever going to have society with even 4% unemployment again.

<b><a href="http://www.fark.com/comments/6914177/74688408#c74688408" target="_blank">AirForceVet</a>:</b> <i>What did <strike>the Republicans in</strike> Congress last month do</i>

FTFY. I haven't heard of anything noteworthy Congress has done since....

Shiat. Been a while.

And somehow, I managed to break the script buttons. Time for bed!

And all on record low volume., with most of that coming in the last few moments of the day. Hmmm...



HFT wizardry is about the only thing preventing severe deflation

I credit President Obama. He's a good president. I like him.

FlashHarry: nearly two years of solid private-sector job growth, a dow that's nearly double its low in march of '09... i'd say that the economy is looking pretty good, considering the fact that it nearly died in september of 2008. but remember - obama only gets blamed when things are bad. if they're good, it's anybody but obama!

People are looking forward to him being gone.

Believe the bullshiat, or you can believe that nothing has recovered and home values are still plummeting with people losing their jobs/homes.

My sales for late January were higher this year than last, but I think I have more inventory for customers to select from.

Each year I notice a significant drop between the last week of January and the first week of March, which I suspected correlates with people paying down their CC balances.

I need to go play with a few analytic tools, maybe I have more inventory, maybe customers really are buying more this time.

/February 2008 was a measly $800
//This week was good for $2300

Funny when people talk about Reagan. He had unemployment at the same place Obama has now at the same point in his Presidency.

rnld: Funny when people talk about Reagan. He had unemployment at the same place Obama has now at the same point in his Presidency.

No he didnt.

steamingpile: rnld: Funny when people talk about Reagan. He had unemployment at the same place Obama has now at the same point in his Presidency.

No he didnt.

Really? Care to share?

Unemployment Rates in 1981

January 1981 - 7.5%
February 1981 - 7.4%
March 1981 - 7.4%
April 1981 - 7.2%
May 1981 - 7.5%
June 1981 - 7.5%
July 1981 - 7.2%
August 1981 - 7.4%
September 1981 - 7.6%
October 1981 - 7.9%
November 1981 - 8.3%
December 1981 - 8.5%

Unemployment Rates in 1982

January 1982 - 8.6%
February 1982 - 8.9%
March 1982 - 9%
April 1982 - 9.3%
May 1982 - 9.4%
June 1982 - 9.6%
July 1982 - 9.8%
August 1982 - 9.8%
September 1982 - 10.1%
October 1982 - 10.4%
November 1982 - 10.8%
December 1982 - 10.8%

Unemployment Rates in 1983

January 1983 - 10.4%
February 1983 - 10.4%
March 1983 - 10.3%
April 1983 - 10.2%
May 1983 - 10.1%
June 1983 - 10.1%
July 1983 - 9.4%
August 1983 - 9.5%
September 1983 - 9.2%
October 1983 - 8.8%
November 1983 - 8.5%
December 1983 - 8.3%

More importantly, the highest tax bracket was higher under Reagan, and that's before he increased taxes three times.

SkyFlyer: Jan 97... Republican congress, yes? Jan 12... Republican congress, yes?

You are right. No matter how hard the republican congress tried, the democrats managed to create something positive even in spite of their obstructionism.

The Reagan myth is just that. A myth.

rnld: The Reagan myth is just that. A myth.


What about when Reagan was selling weapons and giving comfort and support to one of our most dangerous and hated enemies: Iran?

If Reagan were president today he'd probably be selling weapons to Al Qaeda.