Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index Back At 'Severe Economic Discontent' Level

Bloomberg's Consumer Comfort index slipped back below -40 this week (despite all the market ebullience) indicating empirically at least a period of severe economic discontent among the most critical segment of our economy. Worst still, the outlook for the economy is its weakest in six months and the last two months have seen confidence on the economy plunge its fastest in 13 months.

Back below -40, the Bloomberg Comfort Index signals severe economic discontent...

Bloomberg index of outlook for the economy...

Comments

[govttrader]

Wholesale inventories diving...rut roh raggy!!!

Sell both stocks and bonds???

http://govttrader.blogspot.com/

[BandGap]

This is shocking I tell you.

Heading into the maelstrom, batten down the hatches.

[LawsofPhysics]

Pssst.  At the end of the day, if you can't touch or defend "it", you don't own it.

[aint no fortuna...]

Excellent - this should get the VIX under 15

[bigdumbnugly]

Consumer Comfort Index Back At 'Severe Economic Discontent' Level

is that when the needle is pointing up the consumer's ass?

[lunaticfringe]

The cards are stacked agin me.

-Barry S.

[John Law Lives]

I guess they didn't survey the gal in the Blanchard ad with the big rack.  She looks comfortable...

[A Man without Q...]

and they'll keep ramping equities until morale improves...

[Hype Alert]

What we need is another planted reporter to ask BHO if this is a good time to invest in the market.

This time it would have to be unscripted.

[Meesohaawnee]

bullish!

[govttrader]

For those unaware of the economic cycle that is referred to as "frontruning the fed and the treasury"...this week (treasury refunding) should mark the high yields for US treasuries for the next 3 weeks....but wait until the 1pm 30yr auction to buy your bonds...ok?

http://govttrader.blogspot.com/

[Meesohaawnee]

im buyin the manchester united IPO.

[Shizzmoney]

Despite corporate profits (which are declining), productivity is also starting to deflate (with everything else):

http://blogs.reuters.com/macroscope/2012/08/09/the-productively-disinflationary-american-worker/

Strong productivity may be good for an economy’s long-term growth prospects. But it’s not always great for workers in the near-run, since it literally means firms are squeezing more out of each employee. In reality, rapid productivity growth can make it harder for workers to get new jobs or bargain for raises.

The benefits of operating efficiently are obvious enough: Productive firms will have more money left over to invest, which should lead to more job creation in the future. Except lately, that future seems never to come, giving rise to the somewhat oxymoronic notion of a jobless recovery.

When do the workers go Galt?

[The Axe]

What I feel so good.....sarc

[bnbdnb]

Gasoline.

[jtmo3]

Buy, buy, buy!!!

[YesWeKahn]

unlimited QE will certainly help, because there is nothing else the central nanks know how to do.

[pods]

From my own observance, people everywhere are really broken.  It is very rare to see a happy person in public.  Well, when they are not getting paid to be happy. 

I am in an area where this depression has barely touched, I can only imagine what it is like waking up in some of the hard hit areas.

pods