then and now wednesday

I am hardly qualified to open this particular form, especially given the illustrious company that hang out here, but as this is a landmark day post GFC, I simply couldn't help myself.

Now that the dow jones has crossed their 2007 high water mark on their inexorable way to 20,000, we in the lucky country stumble and stagger still 30% below our own 2007 peak. And so, on this auspicious day, I thought this little dow jones "then and now" might be instructive (of what, I really don't know):

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Then 14164.5; Now 14164.5

Regular Petrol Price: Then $2.75; Now $3.73

GDP Growth: Then +2.5%; Now +1.6%

Americans Unemployed (in Labor Force): Then 6.7 million; Now 13.2 million

Americans On Food Stamps: Then 26.9 million; Now 47.69 million

Size of Fed's Balance Sheet: Then $0.89 trillion; Now $3.01 trillion

US Debt as a Percentage of GDP: Then ~38%; Now 74.2%

US Deficit (LTM): Then $97 billion; Now $975.6 billion

Total US Debt Oustanding: Then $9.008 trillion; Now $16.43 trillion

US Household Debt: Then $13.5 trillion; Now 12.87 trillion

Labor Force Particpation Rate: Then 65.8%; Now 63.6%

Consumer Confidence: Then 99.5; Now 69.6

S&P Rating of the US: Then AAA; Now AA+

VIX: Then 17.5%; Now 14%

10 Year Treasury Yield: Then 4.64%; Now 1.89%

EURUSD: Then 1.4145; Now 1.305

Gold: Then $748; Now $1583

NYSE Average LTM Volume (per day): Then 1.3 billion shares; Now 545 million shares