It has surprised all of us that the economy has performed so strongly, but we think that the accumulated influence of higher rates both in the market and by the Fed will begin to take a little bit of starch out of the economy. |
It is the litany of uncertainty this year - the housing market moderation, worry about energy prices_ that may be factoring into peoples' views about the future. |
It's a big surprise and another puzzle for economists to try to figure out. |
It's a good time to make sure your debt is at a reasonable level. |
It's certainly surprising. I mean, all of the recent news suggested that we're going down a slippery slope toward a slower economic time. |
It's not what we'd like to see. |
Our guess is that long-term rates will begin to drift up later this year, albeit modestly. |
Outside of Detroit -- and outside of the gulf region -- there are signs that the economy is still doing very well. |
Taxpayers are on the hook for that. |
The hurricane season failed to blow the economy off course. |
The new chairman, undoubtedly, is going to be someone that the administration is comfortable with, but I think the new chairman should take the step early on of showing that they are going to remain independent-minded. |
The pool of available labor is diminishing and worker efficiency is growing more slowly. This adds up to a higher level of pressure on wages, and, by inference, on inflation. |
The survey was taken in a dark week immediately after Katrina. The images (in the media) were of the type that don't makes us confident about anything. |
There are a lot of cross currents out there ... but overall the report suggests the job market is still doing pretty well. |
There is short-term certainty and medium-term mystery for the Fed. |