Accept this for what it is: an emotional reaction to tragic circumstances. But are people going to stop spending? No. |
Any long-term plan without an education component isn't a complete plan. We are seeing a brain drain. |
As we get into the month of July, it is always a difficult and very volatile period for initial claims. |
Auto sales at these monstrous levels, these gargantuan levels, cannot be sustained. They will come back to normal levels. |
Considering everything, I think the picture is a little bit brighter for the second quarter and some of our fears on the economy in context of this soft patch scare are at least slightly alleviated. |
Consumer spending in the fourth quarter is going to be low, and capital spending and inventory rebuilding is what takes up the slack. There are also increases in government purchases, a lot of that going for Gulf reconstruction. |
Consumers are still willing to spend, even with the high energy prices, and capital investment is booming. By the second half of the year, we'll see the cumulative effect of interest- rate increases begin to bite and the economy slow. |
Does the Fed stop raising rates after March? No. If these figures stay hot, they are going to keep raising. |
Fed members are worried about inflation. To raise the fears of inflation is in effect telling us they are going to continue to raise interest rates. Probably not just once more but repeatedly. |
He's paid to be a professional worrier, |
Holy Katrina! The economy weathered two major hurricanes and in spite of that showed accelerated growth. I think what this shows is that fundamentally the economy was and is in really good shape. |
I fully expect the economy to bounce back strongly in the first quarter. Auto sales will be stronger and inventories are still very lean, which points to a better first quarter. |
I think any number below 350,000 is associated with good job growth. I think we are definitely getting back on track for fundamentally good job generation. |
I think we can take heart in the fact that even with all the worries -- about energy prices, higher interest rates and a slowing housing market -- confidence moved higher. |
If anything, this is a pause. My impression is that manufacturing is doing better than the flat reading suggests. |