The critical question is how much the White House listens to Greenspan. |
The economy continues to operate at a pace that is non-inflationary -- companies are able to keep their costs down, even with tight labor markets. What it clearly indicates is that the Fed will probably remain on hold through the rest of the year. |
The employment sector is looking like it's stabilizing. It will probably bottom out at 6.0 percent in the next few months. |
The factors are coming into place that point to an eventual rebound. |
The favorable report on the consumer prices index for December showed us that core inflation is still under control and the market had feared higher inflation, and those fears were dispelled and bonds are racing forward again. |
The Fed is going to have a tough call. The economy is growing fast, but there is no wage pressure ... There are as many reasons for why (rates) should be on hold as why they should be tightened. |
The Fed's not as devious or fickle as the market thinks, ... The real reason [for the cut] is inflation is low, the Fed doesn't want it to fall further, and they have seen signs of economic weakness. Beyond that, it's overanalyzing things. |
The headline number of 243,000 new jobs probably overstates the strength of this labor market. But even when you pick it apart, it's a very healthy report. |
The housing market remains strong. Starts were off a bit, but they were at a very, very high level, ... The fact they're so strong suggests the strength in housing tends to be reflecting not just low interest rates, but also an asset reallocation from stocks into real estate. |
The housing market remains strong. Starts were off a bit, but they were at a very, very high level. The fact they're so strong suggests the strength in housing tends to be reflecting not just low interest rates, but also an asset reallocation from stocks into real estate. |
The question is whether producers are absorbing their rising costs or whether they've started to pass those expenses onto consumers. If consumers are paying more, then we have a problem. |
The reason we've shifted to deficit spending is largely due to a shift from very robust economic growth and a booming stock market into a recession. The bottom line is, I'm not particularly concerned. |
The recession has ended, ... It is pretty typical but mild recession because consumer spending remained firm and housing continued to grow. |
The robust gain in economic output in the fourth quarter will combine with only a modest rise in hours worked to generate another spectacular increase in productivity for the quarter. Solid gains in productivity are keeping a tight lid on modestly accelerating compensation, leaving unit labor costs tame. |
The way to look at it is that demand is very strong and there is a slight moderation in the rate of growth. |