15-year total return from popular Vanguard index funds through 12/31/14 shows bonds beating stocks since 1999 except on the short end

Per annum return per Morningstar tonight:

Total international stock index, VGTSX = 2.96%

Short term bond index, VBISX = 4.05%

S&P 500 stock index, VFINX = 4.13%

Total stock market index, VTSMX = 4.75%

Total bond market index, VBMFX = 5.45%

Intermediate term bond index, VBIIX = 6.52%

Long term bond index, VBLTX = 8.37%

US could join this list of the world's top oil exporters thanks to relaxation of 1974 oil export ban yesterday

Export of up to 1 million barrels per day could put the US in 16th or 17th on this list from the US Energy Information Administration by the end of 2015.

Jobless claims finish December averaging 362,000 per week, 2014 ends at 15.9 million total first time claims for unemployment

All figures are raw, not-seasonally-adjusted.

The 15.9 million figure is now the lowest in the 21st century, beating the heretofore best level achieved under Bush, which was 16.2 million (but when the participation rate of the labor force was much higher than it is today, 66.4% in November 2006 vs. 62.8% in November 2014). Previously I had expected claims to total 15.7 million in 2014, but first time claims for unemployment ramped up a little higher in December than they had been averaging through November.

Here's the historical record:

2001 20.9 million

2002 20.9 million

2003 20.8 million

2004 17.7 million

2005 17.7 million

2006 16.2 million

2007 16.7 million

2008 21.6 million

2009 29.5 million

2010 23.7 million

2011 21.7 million

2012 19.4 million

2013 17.8 million

2014 15.9 million.

Conditions remain very favorable for making continued progress on a recovery of full-time jobs, which are still 3.8 million off their 2007 peak, over seven years ago.