A non-exclusive list of interesting graphs from 2015

1. Strong wage growth has yet to show up

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While the U.S. unemployment rate has reached 5 percent, wage growth hasn’t accelerated. Previous experience shows more workers need to be employed before we get healthy wage growth.

2. The collapse of the U.S. job ladder

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The job ladder has been a key way that workers get raises, as they move up to higher-paying jobs. But the job ladder in the United States seems to have collapsed in the 21st century.

3. The decline in U.S. business investment

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(original graph from the Roosevelt Institute (opens in a new tab))

While U.S. investment growth has been weak during the current economic recovery, the weakness (opens in a new tab) is actually a longer-term phenomenon.

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(original graphs from the American Economic Review)

Furthermore, the 2003 dividend tax cut was sold as a way to boost U.S. investment. But we should be skeptical (opens in a new tab) that it did anything of the sort.

4. The relationship between “rents” and inequality

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(original graph from the Council of Economic Advisers (opens in a new tab))

The role of economic rents—excess returns to an economic actor—is an increasingly popular topic of conversation when it comes to economic inequality. The extraordinary returns (opens in a new tab) some firms have seen is a sign of the importance of rents.

5. The Fed’s 2 percent inflation “target”

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(original graph from the Federal Reserve (opens in a new tab))

As the Federal Reserve recently raised interest rates for the first time in almost a decade, it sees (opens in a new tab) inflation running below its target for the next three years.

6. The decrease in long-term interest rates

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(original graph from the Council of Economic Advisers (opens in a new tab))

While short-term interest rates may be on the upswing, long-term interest rates (opens in a new tab) have been falling for a while. And they seem set to be that way for a while.

7. The relationship between income and student loan delinquency

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The massive increase in student loan debt across the United States has triggered concerns that borrowers with huge debt burdens will default. But borrowers with small balances are actually the most likely to default.