During this five years and five months period of time from March 6, 2009 through August 15, 2014, Oregon was blessed with two truly outstanding Democratic US Senators.....Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden.
I found 20 Oregon Headquartered Companies in Yahoo's or Google's superb Finance websites or from SEC filings with current Total Market Capitalizations of at least $100 mil and which also had their common stocks trading on each of the following three dates:
- On December 31, 2007 during President Bush's second term
- On March 6, 2009, very early in President Obama's first term, which was the lowest point for the US stock market due to the spillover effects resulting from the 2008 financial meltdown, and
- also on the most recent date August 15, 2014.
These 20 Oregon Companies had their average equal-company-weighted stock market prices decline by a massive 62% from December 31, 2007 during President Bush's second Presidential term, to March 6, 2009, very early in President Obama's first term, which was the very lowest point for the overall stock market due to the spillover effects resulting from the disastrous 2008 Financial Meltdown.
But in the five years and five months since March 6, 2009 through August 15, 2014, when both Oregon US Senators, including Jeff Merkley, were Democrats, the average stock market prices of these same 20 Oregon Companies have increased by an exceptionally off-the-charts 692%.
Thus in the six years and seven months from December 31, 2007 before the 2008 financial meltdown to the most recent date August 15, 2014, the equally-company-weighted average stock market prices of these same 20 Oregon Companies have increased by a very impressive 93%...... yeah, they have not just recouped the massive amount they lost with the disastrous 2008 financial meltdown, but also added another 93%.
Below here are the stock market prices of each of these 20 Oregon Companies on August 15, 2014, on March 6, 2009, and on December 31, 2007, along with the related Stock Market Price Percentage Changes:
| Market | Market | Market | ||||||
| Price | Price | Price | ||||||
| % | % | % | ||||||
| Change | Change | Change | ||||||
| Market | Market | Market | 3-6-09 | 12-31-07 | 12-31-07 | |||
| Price | Price | Price | to | to | to | |||
| Oregon Company | HQs | 8-15-14 | 3-6-09 | 12-31-07 | 8-15-14 | 3-6-09 | 8-15-14 | |
| $s | $s | $s | ||||||
| MERKLEY | ||||||||
| & WYDEN | ||||||||
| Lithia Motors | Medford | OR | 90.09 | 1.98 | 13.73 | 4450% | -86% | 556% |
| The Greenbrier Companies | Lake Oswego | OR | 64.71 | 1.93 | 22.26 | 3253% | -91% | 191% |
| Craft Brew Alliance | Portland | OR | 13.37 | 0.95 | 6.65 | 1307% | -86% | 101% |
| TriQuint Semiconductor | Hillsboro | OR | 18.92 | 2.05 | 6.63 | 823% | -69% | 185% |
| FEI Company | Hillsboro | OR | 83.75 | 11.82 | 24.83 | 609% | -52% | 237% |
| Lattice Semiconductor | Hillsboro | OR | 7.18 | 1.13 | 3.25 | 535% | -65% | 121% |
| Mentor Graphics | Wilsonville | OR | 20.84 | 3.44 | 10.78 | 506% | -68% | 93% |
| Rentrak Corp | Portland | OR | 48.66 | 9.49 | 14.46 | 413% | -34% | 237% |
| Precision Castparts | Portland | OR | 239.67 | 49.05 | 138.70 | 389% | -65% | 73% |
| StanCorp Financial Group | Portland | OR | 62.86 | 14.73 | 50.38 | 327% | -71% | 25% |
| Cascade Microtech | Beaverton | OR | 11.08 | 2.75 | 10.19 | 303% | -73% | 9% |
| Nike | Beaverton | OR | 77.13 | 19.97 | 32.12 | 286% | -38% | 140% |
| Blount Intl | Portland | OR | 15.00 | 4.72 | 12.31 | 218% | -62% | 22% |
| Columbia Sportswear | Portland | OR | 74.27 | 25.73 | 44.09 | 189% | -42% | 68% |
| Umpqua Holdings | Portland | OR | 16.82 | 6.91 | 15.34 | 143% | -55% | 10% |
| FLIR Systems | Wilsonville | OR | 33.55 | 19.59 | 31.30 | 71% | -37% | 7% |
| Electro Scientific Industries | Portland | OR | 6.70 | 5.11 | 19.85 | 31% | -74% | -66% |
| Pacific Continental | Eugene | OR | 13.29 | 10.44 | 12.52 | 27% | -17% | 6% |
| Schnitzer Steel Industries | Portland | OR | 27.29 | 25.57 | 69.13 | 7% | -63% | -61% |
| Cascade Bancorp | Bend | OR | 5.10 | 8.40 | 139.20 | -39% | -94% | -96% |
| Average % Change all 20 | 692% | -62% | 93% |
In like manner on the employment front, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oregon's State unemployment rate more than doubled, going from 5.2% in December 2007 to 11.0% in October 2009, which was the very lowest point for the US Labor Market due to the lagging spillover effects resulting from the disastrous 2008 Financial Meltdown. But in the four years and eight months since then, when both Democratic Oregon US Senators, including Jeff Merkley, were in office, the Oregon State unemployment rate has declined sharply from 11.0% in October 2009 to 6.8% in the most recently reported June 2014.
Oregon Citizens must be extremely pleased with both the outstanding performance of nearly all of their Oregon Companies as well as with the substantial drop in the Oregon Unemployment Rate, both occurring during the most recent roughly five years when Democrat Jeff Merkley was serving in the US Senate very effectively for the interests of his Oregon constituents.
