Ultimately the buck stops with the president. If people are upset about the economy and want to blame someone, that someone is probably going to be the president, |
Up until now, we haven't seen any backlash to record prices at the pump from consumers, but now the story is changing, |
Up until now, we haven't seen any backlash to record prices at the pump from consumers, but now the story is changing. We've passed the complaining stage and entered the actionable phase. |
We already knew that economic growth in the fourth quarter was depressed. The pace of economic growth in the first quarter may be three times as fast, generating a lot of momentum as we head into the summer. |
We are convinced that a large portion of the tax refunds that are scheduled to arrive in consumers' mailboxes in March and April will be dedicated to these exorbitant energy costs, ... With that, there'll be less money spent on other goods and services. |
We are convinced that a large portion of the tax refunds that are scheduled to arrive in consumers' mailboxes in March and April will be dedicated to these exorbitant energy costs. With that, there'll be less money spent on other goods and services. |
We are going to have a winter of discontent. |
We caution investors; one month of stellar job creation does not a trend make. And since the entire Street has diminished economic growth projections for 2005, we have to stick to our guns of slower, not stronger, job creation in coming months. |
We gave back some ground because the data proved that the economic slowdown isn't necessarily a sure thing, ... If consumer confidence remains at near all-time highs, the economy will continue to expand. |
We have not seen any inflation yet, but what we have heard is an inordinate number of price increase announcements in the third or fourth quarter, but they were not supposed to take effect until Jan. 1. |
We're going to continue to see this throughout 2004, this sideways movement in consumer confidence, simply because we're going to see a very choppy recovery in the labor market, and employment is the single most important influence on consumer attitudes. |
We're more likely to get between 100,000 to 200,000, maybe 250,000 jobs a month in the coming months, and fluctuating -- very choppy, |
We've passed the complaining stage and entered the actionable phase. |
What economists see as half full, investors see as half empty. |
With job-market conditions being what they are, I don't see how consumers will be out there spending up a storm in coming months, |