Demand is likely to remain strong for a while. Households know bargains when they see them, and they assume mortgage rates like these may not be around for a long time. |
Despite all the layoffs that are occurring, businesses are still moving forward, ... They're out there looking for workers, and they may be forced to raise the wages just a touch faster. |
Despite all the layoffs that are occurring, businesses are still moving forward. They're out there looking for workers, and they may be forced to raise the wages just a touch faster. |
Despite the faltering confidence numbers, consumption remains strong, and that is all that really matters, |
Don't sweat it at all. The level of activity remains robust and the details are quite good. |
Energy costs are off but still high and everywhere else prices are rising. Inflation is not out of control, but it is not tame either. |
Energy costs have been so high for so long that businesses aren't confident anymore that they'll fall or fall significantly, ... It's made them look toward trying to push through some smaller price increases. |
Energy prices are about to leave the solar system, but where is all the other inflation? |
Firms should be experiencing significant easing in cost pressures as the weak commodity prices are adding to the strong productivity gains, which are keeping labor costs down. Now if demand would only pick up a bit, the earnings would go right to the bottom line. |
Five years ago, people thought 6 percent unemployment was darn well getting to full employment, ... Even if hits 6 percent, we still have 94 percent of the labor force working. |
For me, core inflation is running at a moderate pace and is slowly accelerating. That is what I believe is driving the Fed to raise rates. |
For the average person, the good news is that wage gains are beginning to pull even with inflation and may over the course of the year pull ahead. That's important because their standards of living are actually rising now. |
Forget the decline from the June pace. What is important is the level of activity, and that is extraordinarily high, ... This market is showing no sign of weakness. With mortgage rates so low, it is no wonder that people are still out there buying homes. And with demand strong, construction is not going to fail. |
Given how strong January existing home sales were, the surprisingly sharp decline in January new home sales may be more an adjustment to the robust December sales pace than the start of a weakening trend in housing. |
Given that real spending fell in August and September and was flat in October, the November increase is not something to get too excited about. |