[The Second Life Economy in Q4 2010]

Thanks for the question, Nuhai.  These two "supplies" are different. One refers to the total amount of L$  put up for sale or "supplied" to the LindeX by residents in a given  time period. The other refers to the total amount of L$ in resident  accounts at any given time, or the total "supply" of L$ across the  entire economy.  Falling supply on the LindeX puts positive price pressure on the L$ (meaning each USD is worth fewer L$).  When the LindeX supply is insufficient to meet demand without significant price fluctuation, and other economic indicators are strong, Linden Lab may increase the L$ supply.   In that way, LindeX supply and total L$ will frequently be inversely related when viewed in a relatively short period.

[The Second Life Economy in Q4 2010]

Hi Hitomi!  I made note of the removal of user-to-user transactions in my Q2 2010 blog post where I stated that it is “not as accurate a measure of the inworld economy as we would like.”  I agree wholeheartedly that it would be high-value, but transaction volume as it stands now is quite noisy, not differentiating, for instance, between a purchase (or anything that involves a true change of hands) vs. something like game-play on a machine (where L$ are moving furiously but a tiny fraction ultimately changes hands).   Simply put, it’s too unreliable for any of us to run a business from and therefore was de-emphasized.  Our goal in removing some metrics was to pare them down to our most reliable, clearly definable data and then build others back where appropriate.  The comments on this and previous posts are certainly helping us determine where to focus.  Keep commenting!

As for your second request, “Total L$ held by residents” is provided above, under the heading “L$ Supply.”