Economics Update

Well, most of the credit crunch indicators seem to be better today, or at least not as bad as expected.

First, we have the TED spread, the difference between the rates on interbank overnight loans and short term T-bills falling below 150 basis points (1½%) to 148 basis points, for the first time since Lehman collapsed.

Of course historically, the TED spread has been about 38 basis points.

Additionally, U.S. 2-Year T-Notes were auctioned off at a higher interest rate than predicted, 0.922%, which was better than the predictions of 0.912%, though the former is still near a record low, and still reflects a flight to safety at the expense of anything resembling returns.

You get the same picture from Calculated Risk's Credit Crisis Indicators where things appear to be really bad, but better than they have been.

In terms of the real economy, things are still tough though with temp agency Manpower, Inc. withdrawing its forecast on weak demand, and temp employment is a bellwether, and we also are seeing the first decline in online holiday sales ever, according to a report from ComScore.

Considering the fact that online sales are still growing as a proportion of overall sales, the rest of retail is doing worse.

In energy, oil is down again, largely on reports of diminished Chinese demands.

In currency, the Dollar is up on the expectation that central banks will act to support it.