Archive for October 2016

US household wealth reached $89.1 trillion in 16Q2, the third straight record setting quarter. Wealth cyclically peaked in 07Q2 at $67.7 trillion, and then declined through 09Q1, bottoming at $54.4 trillion. Relatedly, the 16Q2 US household debt service ratio, the ratio of total required household debt payments to total disposable income, remains at 10%, near…

Last week, Q2 GDP was upwardly revised to a still-anemic 1.4% from 1.1%. Two measures of consumer confidence rose, with one hitting its highest level since 2007. Moreover, the Fed’s favorite inflation indicator rose by one-tenth of a percent in August to 1.7%, its highest level since 9/14, first-time claims for unemployment remain at or…

Every dollar spent on UberX (Uber’s version of a regular cab) in the US results in an additional $1.50 of benefit, almost $7 billion/year. That’s why we all say “what a deal” when we exit an Uber. While customers follow through and order an UberX 62% of the time absent surge pricing, when demand is…