[copious.abundance]

DOT Freight Index Hits Three-Year High
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]Freight carried by for-hire transportation providers posted a month-to-month gain of 0.4 percent in August, reaching its highest level since July 2008, the Transportation Department reported.

The annoucement comes after the Cass Freight Index hit a THREE-YEAR HIGH last week, with U.S. shipments up 7.5 percent year-over-year in September.

The DOT’s Freight Transportation Services Index rose 2.9 in the last three months to 108.7. During the first eight months of 2008, freight shipments measured by the index were up 1.6 percent.

The index measures month-to-month changes in ton-miles carried by for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight. The index reached a pre-recession peak of 113.3 in January 2005 and bottomed out in April 2009 at 94.3, its lowest level since 1997.

[ralfy]

Related:

"Derivatives: The $600 Trillion Time Bomb That's Set to Explode"

http://moneymorning.com/2011/10/12/deri ... o-explode/

[ralfy]

"Alternative Universe"

http://www.financialarmageddon.com/2011 ... verse.html

[Cloud9]

This from Mish: "Weak shipping reports have now spread to rail traffic, truck traffic, and ocean shipping. We will look at each of those in turn, but first a brief recap on the Unprecedented Drop in Port Traffic: A Sobering Omen for Holiday Sales."

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. ... ilfax.html

[peripato]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ralfy', '&')quot;Alternative Universe"

http://www.financialarmageddon.com/2011 ... verse.html

[peripato]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cloud9', 'T')his from Mish: "Weak shipping reports have now spread to rail traffic, truck traffic, and ocean shipping. We will look at each of those in turn, but first a brief recap on the Unprecedented Drop in Port Traffic: A Sobering Omen for Holiday Sales."

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. ... ilfax.html

[peripato]

More Americans than Chinese can’t put food on the table

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he number of Americans who lack access to basic necessities like food and health care is now higher than it was at the peak of the Great Recession, a survey released Thursday found. And in a finding that could worsen fears of U.S. decline, the share of Americans struggling to put food on the table is now three times as large as the share of the Chinese population in the same position.

[Keith_McClary]

Army of unemployed is now entrenched in U.S.
Commentary: Structural woes in economy creating ‘permanent underclass’
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'L')isten to Charles Plosser, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, in a speech a couple of weeks ago.

“These numbers are troubling, especially when more than 40% of the unemployed, or some six million people, have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer,” he said.

“Millions of unemployed workers may take longer to find jobs because their skills have depreciated or they may need to seek employment in other sectors. These structural issues will take time to resolve. Jobs and workers will need to be reallocated across the economy, which is a long and slow process.”

A structural change

Did you catch the word structural? It was no accident. Here’s Atlanta Fed president Dennis Lockhart in a speech two days earlier.

“To me, it is not clear to what degree structural factors are impeding the filling of job vacancies,” he said.
“And… it is not clear to what extent the long-term unemployed are becoming a class of permanently unemployed, creating a problem resembling the so-called structural unemployment of some European countries.”

Again, notice the use of the word structural — twice. And note how Lockhart speculated about a “class of permanently unemployed” which he compared with “some European countries.”

When top officials start speaking like this within days of each other, something’s up.

[GoIllini]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('peripato', '[')size=150]More Americans than Chinese can’t put food on the table[/size]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he number of Americans who lack access to basic necessities like food and health care is now higher than it was at the peak of the Great Recession, a survey released Thursday found. And in a finding that could worsen fears of U.S. decline, the share of Americans struggling to put food on the table is now three times as large as the share of the Chinese population in the same position.

[vision-master]

What makes you think your 'saved' from ever going on welfare?

[GoIllini]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'W')hat makes you think your 'saved' from ever going on welfare?

[vision-master]

or become disabled, unable to work and whatever savings you have, could be spent on medical treament. You could become a ward-of the-state?

[GoIllini]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'o')r become disabled, unable to work and whatever savings you have

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t's the responsible thing to do; if you don't have disability insurance, I know a good agent who hooked me up for $10/year per $1000/year of coverage. If you do ARDII, coverage stays cheap to about age 40 when you should have enough to retire, anyways.

[GoIllini]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'C')heck the fine print as it's tied into SSDI eligibility. Also, those 'private' plans like to send guy's out in vans and film all your movements. Also, they like to review cases every three Months on your dime.

[TheAntiDoomer]

U.S. Unemployment Down Sharply in Early October

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150137/Unemp ... tober.aspx

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')RINCETON, NJ -- Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, is 8.3% in mid-October -- down sharply from 8.7% at the end of September and 9.2% at the end of August. A year ago, Gallup's U.S. unemployment rate stood at 10.0%. While seasonal hiring patterns may explain some of this improvement, the drop suggests the government could report an October unemployment rate of less than 9.0%.

[TheAntiDoomer]

The graphs:

[TheAntiDoomer]

CHART OF THE DAY: New Poll Says The Jobs Situation Has Improved Significantly In October

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of ... z1b3iJrdpe

Favorite quote:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')ccording to polling firm Gallup, which does its own unemployment surveys, the jobs situation is improving massively.

[vision-master]

massively

Large in comparison with the usual amount - lol Ok, define usual.

I've been noticing this too. It's been at 8.3% for 5 days in a row now. This time last year it was around 9.8-9.9%. Personally I'm waiting a few more weeks before I get excited, it could be a temporary blip.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheAntiDoomer', '[')b]U.S. Unemployment Down Sharply in Early October http://www.gallup.com/poll/150137/Unemp ... tober.aspx
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')RINCETON, NJ -- Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, is 8.3% in mid-October -- down sharply from 8.7% at the end of September and 9.2% at the end of August. A year ago, Gallup's U.S. unemployment rate stood at 10.0%. While seasonal hiring patterns may explain some of this improvement, the drop suggests the government could report an October unemployment rate of less than 9.0%.