Category — Economy

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

13% – The increase in investment-banking fees for Wall Street firms for in 2009 to $59.8 billion, from $53.1 billion. It was still well below the recorded $86.9 billion hit in 2007. (Source: Bloomberg)

1.26 – The number of microseconds shorter the length of a day is on Earth as a result of the massive earthquake that struck Chile, the seventh-strongest quake in recorded history. A microsecond is one-millionth of a second. (Source: Associated Press)

2,378 – Tiger Woods’ ranking out of 2,500 celebrities in the David Brown Index, which is used by ad Agencies to gauge the abilities of celebrities to influence consumers. Mr. Woods once ranked 117th, putting him near singer Reba McEntire and comedian Robin Williams. His new ranking puts him in the company of rapper Lil’ Kim and rocker Ozzy Osbourne. (Source: Bloomberg)

34% – Thirty-four percent of Americans expect the unemployment rate in the United States to be higher a year from today. That marks a fivepoint increase from December. (Source: Rasmussen Reports)

57% – Fifty-seven percent of voters say the health care reform plan now working its way through Congress will hurt the U.S. economy. (Source: Rasmussen Reports)

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

57% – Nearly 6 in 10 Americans now say they are spending less money than they used to, and 38% say this reduced spending will be their new, normal spending pattern. (Source: Gallup)

2.6 Million – The number of gallons of water in a shark-filled aquarium in a ritzy Dubai mall that sprung a leak last Thursday, sending shoppers scattering. None of the 33,000 fish inside was harmed. (Source: Associated Press)

75% – Percent of today’s workers expect to continue to work for pay after retirement. Fifty Percent (50%) of those aged 50 to 70 have postponed their expected date of retirement and 66% say they are waiting to retire because they need to rebuild their financial resources. (Source: Metlife Mature Marketing Institute)

$20.3 Billion – Wall Street bonuses paid out last year, up 17% from 2008, but down about a third from 2007. The average bonus for workers in the industry last year was $123,000. (Source: New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli)

702 – The number of U.S. “problem” banks as of Dec. 31, a 27% increase from the 552 banks at the end of the third quarter and the highest level in 17 years. Problem banks account for 8.7% of all U.S. lenders. (Source: Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.)

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

51% – Fifty-one percent of American adults believe decisions made by U.S. business leaders to help their own business grow will do more for the economy than decisions made by the government. (Source: Rasmussen Reports)

$203,500 – The median price of a new home in the U.S. decreased to $203,500 in January, the lowest since December 2003, from $208,600 in the same month last year. (Source: Bloomberg)

1 in 5 – In the second quarter of 2009, over one in five households reported they are wireless cellular only–an increase of 16% from the past year. This increase comes from the two-thirds of households who have dropped their landlines as well as from young adults that started new households with just a wireless phone service. (Source: Nielson)

$1 Trillion – The gap between what U.S. states have saved and what they have promised to retired public workers for pension and health care benefits. States have saved $2.35 trillion of the $3.35 trillion owed to workers.(Source: The Pew Center on the States)

10 – The number of consecutive months, through January, during which an index of leading economic indicators rose, pointing to an expanding economy for the first half of this year. The series of gains in the index was the longest since 2004. (Source: Conference Board)

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

59% – Fifty-nine percent of Americans still hold at least a somewhat favorable view of Toyota even as the embattled automaker adds at least 300,000 2010 Prius models to the eight million cars it is already recalling worldwide over safety issues. That number includes 22% with a very favorable opinion. (Source: Rasmussen Reports)

544 – The number of medals won by U.S. athletes in the Winter Olympic Games, the most by any country. Canada is next, with 496, followed by the USSR, with 495. (Source: Waterbury Republican American)

61% – Sixty-one percent of Americans say it is better for the economy for the government to stay out of the housing market. That’s an eight point jump from September. (Source: Rasmussen Reports)

2.5 Million – The number of job openings in the U.S. in December, up 63,000 from the prior month and the first increase in three months. The gain indicates that employers are feeling more confident about the economy. (Source: U.S. Labor Department)

106.5 Million – The number of viewers for the Super Bowl this month. That total exceeded the 1983 finale of “M*A*S*H,” making it the most-watched program in TV history. (Source: Nielson Co.)

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

41% – The percentage of surveyed voters who would prefer a budget deficit with tax cuts over a balanced budget that required higher taxes. Thirty-six percent would rather see a balanced budget with higher taxes, and 23% are not sure which would be better. (Source: Rasmussen Reports, LLC)

39.2 – The millions of pounds of tortilla chips bought in the U.S. in the week before and after 2009’s Super Bowl—20% more than the average two-week period last year. (Source: The Nielson Co.)

33% – Thirty-three percent view the holiday celebrated today as one of our nation’s least important holidays, while 49% think it falls somewhere in between. (Source: Rasmussen Reports)

35% – The percentage of voters that believe Congress should pass health care reform before the upcoming midterm elections. Fifty-four percent (54%) say Congress should wait until voters select new congressional representatives in November. (Source: Rasmussen Reports)

$153M – The estimated amount spent on lodging, entertainment and other hospitality and tourism activities in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties for Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV. That represents a 17% decrease from 2008. (Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers)

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

61% – Sixty-one percent (61%) of voters believe tax cuts help the economy, and 59% say tax cutes are a better job-creation tool than increased government spending. (Source: Rasmussen Reports LLC)
 
$4 M – The projected number of iPads that Apple will sell in the first 12 months the product is on the market. The device is expected to hit stores in April. (Source: Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray & Co.)

59% – The increase in home sales in the Hamptons, the New York vacation hot spot, in the fourth quarter Transactions jumped to 409, from 257 a year earlier, the biggest gain in at least seven years. The median price of a home rose nearly 5% to 917,900. Source: Miller Samuel Inc. and Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate)

41% – The Saints will be cheered by 41% of fans in the National Football League championship game in Miami on Feb. 7, compared with 30 percent for the Colts. (Source: Bloomberg)

9.7% – The unemployment rate in the U.S. unexpectedly declined in January to 9.7 percent, the lowest level since August, while payrolls dropped as companies boosted worker hours and overtime instead of taking on new hires. (Source: Bloomberg)

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

61% – Sixty-one percent (61%) of U.S. voters say Congress should drop health care reform and focus on more immediate ways to improve the economy and create jobs. (Source: Rasmussen Reports, LLC)

$24 Billion – The estimated amount that would be saved in annual medical costs if Americans consumed just half a teaspoon less salt each day. It could also prevent as many as 92,000 deaths a year. (Source: New England Journal of Medicine)

$498K – The average 2009 compensation per employee at The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The investment bank spent $16.2 billion on compensation—48% more than in 2008 but below 2007’s record $20.2 billion. (Source: Bloomberg)

2.2% – The estimated percentage increase of worldwide output per worker this year. That follows a 1% slide in 2009, the first decrease since 1991’s 0.1% drop. (Source: Conference Board)

59% – Fifty-nine percent of voters nationwide believe cutting taxes is better than increasing government spending as a job-creation tool. (Source: Rasmussen Reports, LLC)

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

55% – The percentage of American shareholders who believe that the stock market will be higher a year from now. Just 11% believe that the market will be lower in a year, and the remainder are not sure. (Source: Gallup Inc.)

$2.17 Billion – The amount of money spent over the past 20 years on Super Bowl commercials. The cost of a 30-second spot more than quadrupled during that time to $3M in 2009. Because of the down economy, CBS reportedly is selling these ads for $2.5M to $2.8M this year. (Source: TNS Media Intelligence)

46% – When asked how long it will be before the U.S. economy starts to recover, 46% of Americans guess three or more years and another 21% say two years. That leaves 29% falling into the optimistic camp, predicting that the country will see an economic recovery in one year or less. (Source: Gallup Inc.)

$103M – The American Red Cross had raised about $103 million for Haiti relief as of Sunday evening, and officials credited about 15-20% to the text message program. (Source: USA Today)

76% – The percentage of marketing professionals who would cancel, reduce, or suspend their business relationship with Tiger Woods if he were endorsing a product of one of theirs. (Source: Argyle Executive Forum)

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

$10.5 Billion – The amount shelled out at U.S. movie theaters in 2009 as of Dec. 27, a record gross for Hollywood. (Source: Hollywood.com)

15.5% – Increase in online sales this past holiday season. While significantly higher than the 3.6% increase in total holiday retail sales, e-commerce still made up less than 10% of those sales. (Source: MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse)

76% – The percentage of consumers responding to a credit counseling survey who say that decreasing debt is their No. 1 New Year’s resolution. Six percent say that increasing savings is the top solution, while 11% intend to improve their credit scores. (Source: The National Foundation for Credit Counseling)

59% – Percentage of parents who say they are not currently setting aside any money for their children’s college education. (Source: Finra Investor Education Foundation Survey)

78% – Most U.S. air travelers (78%) approve of the use of full body scans of airline passengers, and 67% say they would not be personally uncomfortable in undergoing such a scan. (Source: Gallup)

68% – Two-thirds of Americans have taken steps to make their home more energy efficient. Of those who have, 71% say they did so to save money, while 26% sought to improve the environment. (Source: Gallup)

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

83% – The percentage of surveyed Americans who say they are likely to learn more about financial topics in 2010. The two most mentioned subjects were setting financial goals and saving for retirement. (Source: Fidelity Investments)

$220M – The estimated amount of revenue Tiger Woods’ indiscretions and indefinite leave of absence will cost golf’s major corporate backers — such as the PGA Tour, Nike Inc. and television networks such as CBS—in 2010. (Source: Bloomberg)

52% – The percentage of U.S. adults who oppose more government regulation of the financial sector, up from 47% in June, when President Barack Obama proposed reforms to prevent another Wall Street crisis. (Source: Rasmussen Reports)

84% – Eighty-four percent of seniors say they feel life insurance’s cost is relatively minimal, compared to other budgetary items. (Source: Prudential Life)

$37.3K – The amount paid for Michael Jacksons’s “moonwalking” shoes and fedora at an auction last week in London. The items, worn during 2001 shows, fetched far less than the $350K paid last month for his famous sparkly white glove. (Source: Bloomberg)