Economic Indicators:
An Update for the 7 Rivers Region
Optimism:
I'm delighted to report that over the break we
learned that our campus has produced so
many graduates currently working as Peace
Corps volunteers that we are among the Top
25 medium-sized schools in the nation.
-Joe Gow
The Economist:
Oh no. They couldn’t find
jobs.
Unemployment claims over last 6
months
178,869
64,327Wisconsi
n
Minnesota 38,450
123,211
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Cu
mu
lative
De
clin
e in
Em
plo
ym
en
t fr
om
Pe
ak
Months from Peak Employment
Postwar Recessions (1946-2008)
1957
1948
1953
2007
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Cu
mu
lative
De
clin
e in
Em
plo
ym
en
t fr
om
Pe
ak
Months From Peak Employment
Postwar Recessions (1946-2008)
1990
2001
2007
Recession…
It’s no longer the banks
-
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
Jan-94 Jan-96 Jan-98 Jan-00 Jan-02 Jan-04 Jan-06 Jan-08
TED Spread
Wealth
Consumption
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0
140.0
160.0
180.0
Dec-99 Jun-01 Jan-03 Jul-04 Jan-06 Jul-07 Jan-09
Equity Indices
DJIA
S&P 500
7 Rivers
80.0
100.0
120.0
140.0
160.0
180.0
200.0
220.0
240.0
Jan-98 Jan-00 Jan-02 Jan-04 Jan-06 Jan-08
Index of Home Prices
Phoenix
Minneapolis
7 Rivers Region
Falling Confidence
Falling Consumption
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
April 2002 April 2003 April 2004 March 2006 April 2007*** August 2008***
February 2009***
Consumer Expectations Index
National
7 Rivers
In Recessions…
Preferences Change
TIME
MONEY
Vs.
In Recessions…
People Get Healthier
In Recessions…
Preferences Change – Temporarily
Cars accumulate at the ports
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
18.0
Feb. '08 Jun. '08 Oct. '08 Feb. '09
Mill
ion
s o
f V
eh
icle
sU.S. Vehicle Sales
Domestic
Imports
In Recessions…
Preferences Change – Permanently.
The Lost Decade
In Recessions…
There are opportunities.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Feb. '08 Jun. '08 Oct. '08 Feb. '09
Total U.S. Light Vehicle Retail Sales (SAAR, Mil. Units)
Domestic
Imports
0.0
50.0
100.0
150.0
200.0
250.0
300.0
350.0
400.0
450.0
Jan-95 Jan-97 Jan-99 Jan-01 Jan-03 Jan-05 Jan-07 Jan-09
Gasoline Prices (C/gal)
The Stimulus…
Obama’s Wager
Nick Lichter
Executive Director of Organic Logistics at
Organic Valley.
Jeneen Ablan
Marketing Director at Shared Health Services.
Adam Etrheim
Founder of eContractorBids.com.
Economic Indicators:
An Update for the 7 Rivers Region