|
ITEM
|
January 2009
|
TODAY
|
% chg
|
Source
|
|
Avg.. Retail price/gallon gas in U.S.
|
$1.83
|
$3.704
|
79.6%
|
1
|
|
Crude oil, European Brent (barrel)
|
$43.48
|
$105.02
|
147.7%
|
2
|
|
Crude oil, West TX Inter. (barrel)
|
$38..74
|
$104.78
|
155.9%
|
2
|
|
Gold: London (per troy oz.)5
|
$853.25
|
$1,469.50
|
70.5%
|
2
|
|
Corn, No.2 yellow, Central IL
|
$3.56
|
$7.33
|
88.1%
|
2
|
|
Soybeans, No. 1 yellow, IL
|
$9.66
|
$13.75
|
42.3%
|
2
|
|
Sugar, cane, raw, world, lb. Fob
|
$13..37
|
$41.39
|
184.7%
|
2
|
|
Unemployment rate, non-farm, overall
|
7.6%
|
9.4%
|
23.7%
|
3
|
|
Unemployment rate, blacks
|
12.6%
|
15.8%
|
25.4%
|
3
|
|
Number of unemployed
|
11,616,000
|
14,485,000
|
24.7%
|
3
|
|
Number of fed. Employees, ex. Military (curr = 12/10 prelim)
|
2,779,000
|
2,940,000
|
2.9%
|
3
|
|
Real median household income (2008 v 2009)
|
$50,112
|
$49,777
|
-0.7%
|
4
|
|
Number of food stamp recipients (curr = 10/10)
|
31,983,716
|
43,200,878
|
35.1%
|
5
|
|
Number of unemployment benefit recipients (curr = 12/10)
|
7,526,598
|
9,193,838
|
22.2%
|
6
|
|
Number of long-term unemployed
|
2,600,000
|
6,400,000
|
146.2%
|
3
|
|
Poverty rate, individuals (2008 v 2009)
|
13.2%
|
14.3%
|
8.3%
|
4
|
|
People in poverty in U.S. (2008 v 2009)
|
39,800,000
|
43,600,000
|
9.5%
|
4
|
|
U.S.. Rank in Economic Freedom World Rankings
|
5
|
9
|
n/a
|
10
|
|
Present Situation Index (curr = 12/10)
|
29.9
|
23.5
|
-21.4%
|
11
|
|
Failed banks (curr = 2010 + 2011 to date)
|
140
|
164
|
17.1%
|
12
|
|
U.S.. Dollar versus Japanese yen exchange rate
|
89.76
|
82.03
|
-8.6%
|
2
|
|
U.S.. Money supply, M1, in billions (curr = 12/10 prelim)
|
1,575.1
|
1,865.7
|
18.4%
|
13
|
|
U.S.. Money supply, M2, in billions (curr = 12/10 prelim)
|
8,310.9
|
8,852.3
|
6.5%
|
13
|
|
National debt, in trillions
|
$10..627
|
$14..052
|
32.2%
|
14
|
Just take this last item: In the last two years we have accumulated national debt at a rate more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our entire nation's history.
Metaphorically speaking, if you are driving in the right lane doing 65 MPH and a car rockets past you in the left lane, 27 times faster, it would be doing 7,555 MPH!
Sources:
(1) U.S. Energy Information Administration;
(2) Wall Street Journal;
(3) Bureau of Labor Statistics;
(4) Census Bureau;
(5) USDA;
(6) U.S. Dept. Of Labor;
(7) FHFA;
(8) Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller;
(9) RealtyTrac;
(10) Heritage Foundation and WSJ;
(11) The Conference Board;
(12) FDIC;
(13) Federal Reserve;
(14) U.S. Treasury
|
