munKNEE.com Your Key to Making Money
The Misery Index is a lens through which to look at quality of life and, from an 
American perspective, such misery has risen steadily since 1994. How miserable is your state (and your state of being)? Take a look.
As editor of www.FinancialArticleSummariesToday.com and www.munKNEE.com and the FREE Market Intelligence Report newsletter (sample here – register here) The Finance Degree Center (www.financedegreecenter.com) asked that I post the following infographic* which I am pleased to do.
According to miseryindex.us/ “the misery index was initiated by economist Arthur Okun, an adviser to President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960’s. It is simply the unemployment rate added to the inflation rate. It is assumed that both a higher rate of unemployment and a worsening of inflation both create economic and social costs for a country. A combination of rising inflation and more people out of work implies a deterioration in economic performance and a rise in the misery index.”
The Misery Index from an international perspective, where absolute misery = (inflation + interest + unemployment) – (year-over-year % change in per capita GDP), flared up during the last decade with widespread social and political upheaval in many Arab countries (Arab Spring). The situation in most of those countries remain very unstable resulting in an on-going alarmingly high level of misery throughout the region.
Take a look at the infographic below for the details.
*http://www.financedegreecenter.com/misery-index/ (© 2013 Finance Degree Center)
Related Articles:
1. Black Male Unemployment Situation In U.S. Is Dire! Here’s Why
In early October, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) released a report entitled “Feel the Heat!” that details the economic status of black men in the United States. Author Linda Harris discusses this group’s high unemployment rates, which she attributes to high incarceration rates, low graduation rates, and a lack of support systems to help black men out of this low-income trap. Read More »
2. Don’t Believe the Lies – THIS Is the Economic Reality – Take a Look… Then Get Prepared
Don’t believe these big lies – the following charts illustrate just what IS reality. Take a look and then get prepared for when the —- hits the fan! Read More »
Despite the preponderance of evidence that money printing doesn’t create jobs, Bernanke and his Central Bank colleagues continue to perpetuate the myth that the recovery is just around the corner, as long as we continue to print money. It’s complete and utter insanity as all it will accomplish is bankrupting the U.S. resulting in higher costs of living – and lower quality of life – for all of us. [Let me explain why I believe that is the case.] Read More »
4. This Gov’t Chart Shows That There Is NO Economic Recovery
5 years into the official economic “recovery” the labor participation rate is still lower than when the recession was declared over in June 2009 by almost a percentage point. It is still over 4 percentage points lower than when the recession officially began. The Federal Reserve chart of employment as a percentage of working age adults proves the point that sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words – sometimes much more. Words: 388; Charts: 1 Read More »
