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Macroeconomic Analysis
Investopedia.com ^ | 2009 | by Reem Heakal

Posted on 10/24/2009 5:57:00 AM PDT by Son House

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A quick summary for those who want the short of Macroeconomics, the U.S. 3rd quarter GDP is due out on Thursday.

Macroeconomic analysis broadly focuses on three things:

National Output: GDP

Output, the most important concept of macroeconomics, refers to the total amount of goods and services a country produces

Unemployment

The unemployment rate tells macroeconomists how many people from the available pool of labor (the labor force) are unable to find work.

Inflation

The third main factor that macroeconomists look at is the inflation rate, or the rate at which prices rise.

^^When they get to the part about 'What Government can do' be careful, they are not talking about the Bankrupt, Corrupt One

1 posted on 10/24/2009 5:57:01 AM PDT by Son House
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To: Son House

Adding a couple of more links to help explain hype in the market, ect.

Stock Market Capitalization To GDP Ratio

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marketcapgdp.asp

A ratio used to determine whether an overall market is undervalued or overvalued.

Typically, a result of greater than 100% is said to show that the market is overvalued, while a value of around 50%, which is near the historical average for the U.S. market, is said to show undervaluation.

In recent years, however, determining what percentage level is accurate in showing undervaluation and overvaluation has been hotly debated.

In 2000, according to statistics at the World Bank the market cap to GDP ratio for the U.S. was 153%, a sign of an overvalued market. With the U.S. market falling sharply after the dotcom bubble burst, this ratio may have some predictive value in signaling peaks in the market.

However, in 2003, the ratio was around 130%, which was still overvalued but the market went on to produce all-time highs over the next few years.


2 posted on 10/24/2009 6:03:10 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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To: Son House

There is only one way GDP has risen in Q3.....that is, if companies were building up inventories.

Nearly every major company reporting earnings stated Q3 revenues were lower than Q2...meaning fewer products were sold.

Unless those companies wanted to ‘stock up’, there was no need for increased production because there was no increasing demand.

Add in the rising unemployment numbers and you can see another reason why GDP will be negative in Q3.


3 posted on 10/24/2009 6:05:12 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (Too many conservatives urge retreat when the war of politics doesn't go their way.)
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To: Son House

What is GDP and why is it so important?

http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/199.asp

It represents the total dollar valueof all goods and services produced over a specific time period - you can think of it as the size of the economy. For example, if the year-to-year GDP is up 3%, this is thought to mean that the economy has grown by 3% over the last year.

^
any growth this quarter will be because of the BIG Shrink thanks to 110th and 111th United State Congress


4 posted on 10/24/2009 6:09:55 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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To: Erik Latranyi

You bring up a great point, ‘Private Sector Growth’,

which, the White House, Congress, and their leading economist in the state run media will try to fool us into thinking it grew any way they can(i.e. government spending)


5 posted on 10/24/2009 6:14:10 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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To: Son House

“Stock Market Capitalization To GDP Ratio

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marketcapgdp.asp

A ratio used to determine whether an overall market is undervalued or overvalued.

Typically, a result of greater than 100% is said to show that the market is overvalued, while a value of around 50%, which is near the historical average for the U.S. market, is said to show undervaluation.”

Very interesting. Theoretically, the value should be around 100%, not 50%. That says that historically, the stock market has been under invested.

You could make an argument the value should be somewhat higher than 100%, since market price is determined by past performance plus future expectations. In a rising market, it should be higher than 100%, and in a falling market, lower than 100%. With a historically expanding economy, the value should be at or above 100%.

Do you have a chart of this ratio over the years?


6 posted on 10/24/2009 6:14:58 AM PDT by Forgiven_Sinner (For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not die)
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To: Son House

Lots of good links here for those who wish to learn more;

Gross Domestic Product - GDP

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gdp.asp

GDP = C + G + I + NX

where:

“C” is equal to all private consumption, or consumer spending, in a nation’s economy

“G” is the sum of government spending

“I” is the sum of all the country’s businesses spending on capital

“NX” is the nation’s total net exports, calculated as total exports minus total imports. (NX = Exports - Imports)


7 posted on 10/24/2009 6:16:47 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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To: Son House

Consumer Confidence: A Killer Statistic

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/fundamental/103002.asp

Consumer spending is the key to any market economy. On the airwaves, there’s never a shortage of data, analysis and cable commentary regarding consumer behavior.

Depending on the economy’s sheer breadth, consumer spending can range anywhere from 50-75% of gross domestic product (GDP). In the U.S. and most highly industrialized nations, this percentage is about 65% of total spending.

Consumer Sentiment

The two numbers expressing consumers’ feelings about the economy and their subsequent plans to make purchases are the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI), prepared by the Conference Board, and the Consumer Sentiment Index, prepared by the University of Michigan. Both indexes are based on a household survey and are reported on a monthly basis.

Business Spending: A Leading Indicator

Though not as powerful an indicator as consumer spending, business capital spending can be a killer statistic - since things can get ugly in a hurry when overall business investment precipitously cuts back: the impact on the economy can be felt at an even faster pace than if the cut occurred purely along consumer lines.

Other Spending Items

There are other spending indicators, such as purchases of durable goods orders and overall auto sales; however, in terms of aggregating the data, these metrics are narrowly defined extensions of overall individual consumption. Trends across personal consumption will usually be reflected and correlated across these two metrics as well as others.


8 posted on 10/24/2009 6:24:43 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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To: Son House

Economic Indicators: Overview[tutorial-several links]

http://www.investopedia.com/university/releases/default.asp

Economic indicators can have a huge impact on the market; therefore, knowing how to interpret and analyze them is important for all investors. In this tutorial, we’ll cover some of the most important economic indicators. You’ll learn where to find them, how to read them and what they can tell you about he health of the economy - and your investments.


9 posted on 10/24/2009 6:30:04 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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To: Forgiven_Sinner
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10 posted on 10/24/2009 6:39:05 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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To: Son House

Government spending makes up a 4th of the equation? Sheesh, I guess economists have their reasons, I think I would put a minus in front of the G.


11 posted on 10/24/2009 6:45:12 AM PDT by Brett66 (Where government advances, and it advances relentlessly , freedom is imperiled -Janice Rogers Brown)
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To: Brett66; All
This is amazing, Keynesian economics hard at work;

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=14313

“Cheap money is a stimulant, also an intoxicant. If the dose is large enough, a substantial temporary effect can be brought about, but headaches follow. If the matter really were that simple, everybody could be an economist, and only the perversity of central banks would keep us from endless prosperity.
Merchants and manufacturers will not be induced to increase borrowings, since interest on money borrowed is only one small factor in total costs. But if merchants and manufacturers will not use cheap money, speculators will”. Benjamin Anderson, Chief Economist of Chase National Bank, New York Times, April 1930

This could have been written YESTERDAY. Goldman, er…Government Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup have now all reported earnings, and guess what? Profits and revenues from core banking activities are almost non-existent; profits now come from speculation using GOVERNMENT money at zero interest rates. The markets for securitized lending are closed so the banks can no longer pass consumer and small business lending to third-party INVESTORS. They must hold the loans on their books and for the most part they are REFUSING to do so.
So, instead of lending to Main Street, the big banks are borrowing overnight from the Federal Reserve and buying Treasuries to absorb the huge budget deficits and put a bid into the bond market with a wink and a nod from the Central Bank. Take a look at the revenue streams from JPMorgan Chase.


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12 posted on 10/24/2009 6:58:20 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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To: All
Keynesian economics hard at work

^
111th Congress loaning GOVERNMENT everyone else's money at zero interest rates

And remember, TARP is not being paid back to the Taxpayer as promised
13 posted on 10/24/2009 7:18:24 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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To: Son House
None of this matters. The people don't understand economics. Kids sleep through economics classes. Obama will just make up "positive for him" spin, the pocket media will dutifully report it as fact and the sheeple will believe because Obama is a handsome and articulate new world leader who isn't George Bush...

What difference does truth make? Just lie. Nobody will know the difference and the few that do will be marginalized and destroyed. Social deviants who cause trouble ala Glenn Beck...

14 posted on 10/24/2009 7:50:51 AM PDT by April Lexington (Study the constitution so you know what they are taking away!)
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To: Son House

As if we can trust any number coming out of this Administration.

look at the DOW, based on NOTHING, but a psychological deception to make people ‘feel’ better.


15 posted on 10/24/2009 7:51:08 AM PDT by Freddd (CNN is not credible.)
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To: Son House
111th Congress loaning GOVERNMENT everyone else's money at zero interest rates

Not quite right. Tax rates have not been increased and tax revenues are down due to the recession. This is CHINESE money, folks and, some day, they will want it back. One billion Chinese, 150 million American conservatives. Guess who looses? Welcome to the Maoist Revolution where American minorities get to kick white people in the ....

16 posted on 10/24/2009 7:53:21 AM PDT by April Lexington (Study the constitution so you know what they are taking away!)
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To: Son House
Geee... remember when Bush was President and loan yields were 7.5%!!!! HOPE AND CHANGE!
17 posted on 10/24/2009 7:54:45 AM PDT by April Lexington (Study the constitution so you know what they are taking away!)
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To: Forgiven_Sinner
"Theoretically, the value should be around 100%"

What's the theory here? Could you expand?

18 posted on 10/24/2009 8:25:16 AM PDT by TopQuark
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To: April Lexington
"None of this matters. The people don't understand economics. Kids sleep through economics classes."

It's not just economics but even basics of how the main institutions work. Even "conservatives" on this forum often think that corporations that get TARP money keep it in the basements of their buildings, as if it were not the millions of shareholders --- retirees, widows and orphans --- that were actually bailed out.

Americans used to understand such matters. Our schools were unsurpassed in 1800s. And even more recently: just look at history tests, for instance, that high school students took in 1930s. Most college students I know would fail those today.

You appear to dismiss poor education and indifference of students as an immutable fact. If so, no political meaures would help. Our economic prospects depend on our values, and the latter are broken.

19 posted on 10/24/2009 8:34:51 AM PDT by TopQuark
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To: April Lexington

150 million American conservatives. Guess who looses?

^
The productive that actually have to work and pay taxes


20 posted on 10/24/2009 8:45:42 AM PDT by Son House (OcarterCare by Congress will make all Americans = Wards of the State)
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