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- The S&P 500 lost 16.8% (total return) in October 2008 its worst 1-month decline since the index fell 14.5% in August 1998. In the 12-months after that 14.5% decline the S&P 500 gained +39.8%. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks that is generally considered representative of the US stock market (source: BTN Research).
- 9 of the last 12 months (i e.. November 2007 to October 2008) have been negative on a total return basis for the S&P 500 stock index. Before this most recent 1-year period. 9 of the previous 39 months were negative (source: BTN Research).
- Over the last 30 years (i e.. 1978-2007) the S&P 500 experienced a day-over-day change of at least 1% on 23% of its trading days (i e. measured by the closing value of the index for consecutive trading days). During the first 10 months of 2008 the S&P 500 experienced a day-over day change of at least 1% on 49% of its trading days or nearly every other day (source: BTN Research).
- The S&P 500 rose +4.1% last Tuesday the largest Presidential Election Day performance ever for the index. Before 1980 the US stock market was closed on Election Day (source: Rocky Mountain News).
– 133.3 million Americans voted in last week’s presidential contest (a record) equal to 62.6% of our voting-age population (# 2 all-time). The previous record was 122.3 million voters from the 2004 election. A record 62.8% of voters went to the polls in 1960 (source: Statistics of the Presidential Election. Denver Post).
- The 111th Congress (i e. the session that begins in January 2009) has a 57/40 Democrat-to-Republican Senate split with 3 races yet to be decided (contests in Georgia. Alaska and Minnesota). The total of 57 includes 2 independent senators that caucus with the Democrats (source: Senate).
- Alan Greenspan was nominated to be the Fed Chairman by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1987 and then he was re-nominated in 1992 by Republican George Bush (# 41) then again in 1996 and 2000 by Democrat Bill Clinton and for the final time in 2004 by Republican George Bush (# 43). Current Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s initial 4-year term runs until 1/31/10 at
- Tuition and fees for 1-year of college at an average 4-year public university (in-state tuition) is $6,585 for the current 2008-09 school year. That amount is greater than the cost of tuition and fees for 1-year of college at an average 4-year private university ($6,121) during the 1985-86 school year or 23 years ago. The figures do not include the cost of room and board (source: College Board).
- The average cost for 1-year of college education at an in-state public college is $14,333 for the 2008-09 school-year (cost includes tuition fees room and board). The total 1-year cost has increased +6.5% per year over the last 30 years. If that same annual rate of inflation continues into the future then a 5th grader today will ultimately pay $105,000 for his/her 4-years of education at an in-state public college during the years 2016-20 (source: College Board).
- In 1980 the top 1% of US taxpayers earned at least $81,000 in adjusted gross income (AGI) accounted for 8% of all AGI nationwide and paid 19% of all federal income tax. In 2006 (the most recent year for which data is available) the top 1% of US taxpayers earned at least $389,000 in AGI accounted for 22% of all AGI nationwide and paid 40% of all federal income tax (source: Internal Revenue Service).
- From the end of 1997 to the end of 2007 the total amount of mortgage debt held by Americans increased by nearly $7 trillion (to $10.5 trillion) an annual increase of almost +11% per year (source: Federal Reserve).
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