The economy is clearly cooling or downshifting somewhat, |
The expectation is that the NAPM numbers should continue to improve and that the manufacturing recession is hopefully going away. |
The Fed is still likely to cut rates in August. Some of the more important measures [of economic strength], such as corporate profits, are moving in the wrong direction. The only real question is whether they'll cut a quarter percentage point or a half percentage point. |
The Japanese would argue that they never really intended to bend the trend of the dollar; they were just trying to make sure the dollar depreciated gradually, in an orderly fashion, ... I suspect that's still their game plan. |
The jobless rate is the best indicator of monetary policy, ... The Fed keeps cutting rates as long as the jobless rate goes up. This time around is really no exception. |
The loss of confidence in the financial reporting of Corporate America could hurt both consumer and business spending, ... The reduced availability and higher cost of credit, as well as the desire to strengthen the balance sheet, could cause firms to postpone capital spending plans and accelerate layoffs. |
The manufacturing slump is over, and production has begun. Production is important for creating jobs and boosting corporate profits, and this indicates that we will see better economic times ahead of us. |
The pause in economic growth and the drop in confidence will probably cause the Fed to tighten later rather than sooner. The earliest I can see them tightening is the end of June, and they could quite possibly wait until August. |
The point is that mounting layoffs and weak consumer confidence will keep consumer spending fairly weak. |
The problem is that the stock market tends to predict downturns or upturns too early. The common joke is that the stock market predicted 11 out of the last 9 recessions. |
The problem is that the stock market tends to predict downturns or upturns too early. The common joke is that the stock market predicted 11 out of the last nine recessions. |
The problem is the bottleneck. The industry simply is not able to process the applications fast enough. They (homeowners) are trying to refinance...But the increase in demand will simply increase the waiting list. |
The productivity gains have been stunning. |
The rate cut could be temporary, but in these times of crisis, I think it's not inappropriate, |
The stock market will remain depressed until layoffs stabilize and the resolution of the war on terrorism becomes clearer, |