Skip navigation

Money & Politics

WEEKNIGHTS 7P ET


Current DateTime: 08:04:03 10 Feb 2012
LinksList Documentid: 33310671

SHOW TIMES

CNBC US:
Weeknights 7p ET

CNBC Asia:
Saturday 07:00 SIN/HK

RSS FEED

» Help

Current DateTime: 08:04:04 10 Feb 2012
LinksList Documentid: 28775123

MOST SHARED


Current DateTime: 08:04:04 10 Feb 2012
LinksList Documentid: 31330905
Expiration DateTime: 2/10/2012 8:06:45 AM

LATEST VIDEO

Get RSS Feed

» More

Current DateTime: 08:04:04 10 Feb 2012
LinksList Documentid: 28776292
    • CPAC 2012: Energized or Demoralized?  09 Feb 2012

        Rep. Steve King, (R-IA), discusses CPAC's conservative agenda for 2012, and which GOP candidate is likely to get their endorsement.

    • The Conservative Message in 2012  09 Feb 2012

        Robert Costa, National Review, reports conservatives convened in Washington on Thursday, at the annual CPAC meeting to call for a balanced budget, and reforms in health care and taxes. Do they have a candidate with that platform? Kevin Madden, JDA Frontline, and Matt Lewis, Daily Caller, weigh in on the GOP campaign, and Mitt Romney's speech to CPAC on Friday.

    • Has the Government Declared War on Banks?  09 Feb 2012

        Officials sealed a $25 billion mortgage foreclosure deal with five major banks. Is this a shakedown to finance government? Mark Calabria, Cato Institute, and Jared Bernstein, Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, weigh in.

CONTACT US

Comments? Questions?
We want to hear from you!
E-mail:

Recovery Indicators Are Being Ignored

Published: Wednesday, 4 Mar 2009 | 4:51 PM ET
Text Size
By: Larry Kudlow
Anchor

CNBC.com

As Team Obama readies its nearly $300 billion mortgage bailout — a plan that at best will have only minor positive impact, and at worst will welfare-ize the housing sector even more — there are recovery indicators out there that are being ignored by the pessimistic administration and its media allies.

Consumer incomes, after tax and adjusted for inflation, have increased for five straight months, which is largely from the tax-cut effect of plunging energy prices.

Housing affordability is at a record high. Purchasing-manager surveys are now bottoming out. Fear-based credit spreads continue to decline. The money supply is expanding rapidly. And commodity prices are bottoming.

And then there’s one indicator that never gets enough credit — the shape of the Treasury yield curve.

Read More on CNBC.com:

When short-term rates moved above long-term rates back in 2006, Ben Bernanke rushed to tell us that it would not signal a recession since interest rates were too low and historical precedence would not apply. By the middle of 2006, this curve had turned decisively negative, and roughly a year and a half later the economy headed into recession.

However, the Treasury curve has right-sized since February 2008, roughly a year ago. Today, 10-year govies are roughly 3 percent, while the 3-month Treasury bill is about 0.25 percent. This, of course, is a sign of monetary ease — usually with about a one-year lag the economy responds to this therapy. Well, it’s about a year right now.

Noteworthy is the factoid that nearly every post-WWII recession has been preceded by an inverted Treasury curve and an oil shock. Sound familiar? Then the economy heals as oil prices come down and the Treasury curve normalizes. Also sound familiar?

© 2012 CNBC, Inc. All Rights Reserved

CNBC HIGHLIGHTS

  • How much did the Facebook founder pay for other shareholders' voting rights? Not a heck of a lot, says the NY Times.
  • Here’s a look at Westminster Kennel Club’s most successful breeds and how much they cost.
  • Job Interview
  • When looking for that next career move,  workers need to look at the differences between a start-up and a public firm.
  • After enduring the recession, many Baby Boomers say money isn’t the most important thing they hope to leave to their kids.
  • The ‘Fast Money’ traders weigh in on fashion related stocks from apparel to footwear to accessories and fragrances.
  • Attention, online shoppers. The days of tax-free online shopping may be coming to an end in many states.


Current DateTime: 07:49:35 10 Feb 2012
LinksList Documentid: 29778428

Current DateTime: 07:49:35 10 Feb 2012
LinksList Documentid: 29779196

Current DateTime: 07:49:35 10 Feb 2012
LinksList Documentid: 29779197

Current DateTime: 07:49:35 10 Feb 2012
LinksList Documentid: 29779199
CNBCCNBC
About CNBC  |  Site Map  |  Video Reprints   |  Advertise  |  Help  |  Contact
Privacy Policy  |     |  Terms of Service  |  Independent Programming Report
  Data is a real-time snapshot  *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis

© 2012 CNBC LLC.  All Rights Reserved.
A Division of NBCUniversal
Thomson ReutersThomson Reuters