You're now on the archive server. Commenting has been disabled.

August Consumer Confidence At 54.1

Tyler Durden's picture




Consumers now taking their unemployment benefits (which are increasingly running out) and investing all the proceeds into FNM and C. Market rips, confidence goes even higher. Facts and $9 trillion upcoming budget deficit ignored.




Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:05 | Link to Comment Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

The sheep are excited about something. The question is what.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:10 | Link to Comment molecool
molecool's picture

They saved some money on car insurance?

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:27 | Link to Comment D.O.D.
D.O.D.'s picture

ROFLMFAO!!!

+10

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:29 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 12:18 | Link to Comment Frank Owen
Frank Owen's picture

'If we all join hands together and buy a new SUV, everything will be OK,' said Robert McTeer, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.  Feb 2001

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 12:24 | Link to Comment cbxer55
cbxer55's picture

I've been on unemployment for eight months now, and have more money in the bank than I have had in years.

 

My wife was unemployed for seven months, almost during the same time period, we managed to save money anyhow.

 

Of course, knowing the end is March 2010 as it currently stands, makes a good reason to save every last bit you can.

 

But we have no excess debt, no car payments, no credit cards, just a $750 per month mortgage. So just on my wifes new salary alone we will survive just fine.

 

I like to think that is the reward for not buying beyond our means for the last decade. Yet we still have two 2006 Suzuki motorcycles, paid for in full, M109R and M50.

 

Were not all dumbies.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 13:45 | Link to Comment Frank Owen
Frank Owen's picture

Wiley, Common sense doesn`t seem to support our monetary system following the First Law of Cartoon Thermodynamics but it does, right now mainstream media is promoting the masses running off the cliff following the road-runner, but you surely know how that ends. If i could upload a pic you know what it would be.. lol

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:54 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 11:42 | Link to Comment Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh's picture

BO just saved $262B on bank insurance!

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 11:45 | Link to Comment blueskyscottsdale
blueskyscottsdale's picture

good one

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 12:28 | Link to Comment cbxer55
cbxer55's picture

I saved money on my home insurance. When I got the bill and it was $505.00 more than it was last year, I blew a fuse. Went into the office and ranted on them about how bad the economy is, with house prices going down all over the place, and how the hell did my $91,000 home become worth $148,000 in one year? You read that right, a one year jump form the $91,000 we paid for it to $148,000!

 

I refused to leave until we saw eye-to-eye, and they actually got it down to less than it was last year. $151.00 less. Same coverage. LOL

 

Heres to ranting!

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 12:08 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:07 | Link to Comment TumblingDice
TumblingDice's picture

Only in a world as insane as ours can a survey of 5000 people create or destroy billions of dollars of wealth.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:28 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:08 | Link to Comment Dixie Normous
Dixie Normous's picture

The 40k someodd eminis that traded on this news looks like one hell of a green shoot.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:08 | Link to Comment Fish Gone Bad
Fish Gone Bad's picture

Social Security runs out in two years.  People better hurry up and get what they put in before there is nothing left. </humor>

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:13 | Link to Comment Miles Kendig
Miles Kendig's picture

Bunbucks will still look the same.  Paid out via direct deposit to banks that will look the same and will spend like they always have.  Zombies doing the dance.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:10 | Link to Comment molecool
molecool's picture

I live in CA - so two IOUs on black and three on FNM please.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:10 | Link to Comment Miles Kendig
Miles Kendig's picture

The PSYOP continues in the same old way.  Sooner or later that dog won't hunt and I fail to appreciate how a new strategy can be smoothly fielded when it does. 

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:10 | Link to Comment Oso
Oso's picture

Redbook figures dont support this consumer confidence number:

Year-over-year: Week (w/e 8/22/09 vs year ago)        -4.4 pct
Year-over-year:Month (August 2009 vs August 2008)     -4.4 pct
Month-over-month: (August 2009 vs July 2009)          -0.7 pct

 

I call BS on this.  Its almost like they eliminated the negative responses somehow...

 

 

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:26 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

I think they cross-referenced the 'list of unemployed' with the 'consumer survey call list', assuring a clean list that included only those people who were employed or independently wealthy.  I agree it is BS... I think Geithner and Rahm made the 5000 calls themselves last night coming up with this magical number.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 11:01 | Link to Comment Oso
Oso's picture

The Conference Board's consumer confidence indicator soared above the consensus forecast of 47.9 by posting a strong rebound to 54.1 from 47.4 in August. The jump follows two consecutive dismal results... The increase in consumer confidence was due to the Expectation Index increasing from 63.4 in July to 73.5. The index is at its highest level since the beginning of the recession in December 2007... The Present Situation index rose a more modest 1.6 units to 24.9. The number of respondents who think business conditions are currently "bad" declined approximately 1 percentage point to 45.6%... Consumers are also a little more upbeat on the job market with 45.1% of respondents believing jobs are hard to get, a decline of 3.4% from June, and 4.2% of respondents saying jobs are plentiful, an increase of 0.5%. It's no surprise that the consumer confidence numbers were pushed higher by the Expectations Index. The index is highly correlated with the number of positive/negative news reports. All of the talk in the media about economic growth returning by the beginning of Q3, including a Newsweek magazine cover announcing the end of recession is here, helped alleviate a lot of the consumer's concern about the future... The more telling sign of the consumer holdback is from the Present Situation Index. Consumers are currently not seeing strong growth and they may continue holding off on major purchases until they witness evidence of the economy rebounding.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 11:07 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

That was interesting... the index is highly correlated with the number of positive/negative news reports...  just don't stop pouring the Kool-aide or the jig will be up for Ben and Tim.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 14:03 | Link to Comment kidSmart (not verified)
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:15 | Link to Comment mdtrader
mdtrader's picture

Turn them around today and post a key day reversal and the game is up.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:19 | Link to Comment Printfaster
Printfaster's picture

Green clunkers.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:19 | Link to Comment spanish inquisition
spanish inquisition's picture

Well, the government is guaranteeing 27 trillion (or so) in debt. And by extension, guaranteeing the insurance products sold and held on that debt. And by extension, the companies that hold those products and their trading partners. And by extension all the people who invest in those companies. How can we lose! Everyone in the pool.. now! haha

Work backwards, what level does the market need to be at in order to support the debt or near term debt target as a % of assets. We are being engineered for a healthy V shaped recovery, the only thing that can stop it now is a case of the flu.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:31 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:39 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

Oops did someone say the flu... the market will rally on that also... because I heard that over the summer the virus was being specially engineered to affect only those who are unemployed, underemployed, in foreclosure, late on their mortgage payments, filing for bankruptcy, or simply don't support 'the new grand plan'... and by getting rid of that dead weight the market will be limitless. 

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:29 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:49 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 14:02 | Link to Comment kidSmart (not verified)
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 13:10 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 19:42 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 20:32 | Link to Comment Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh's picture

ABC.  Always Be Consuming.

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 21:24 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!