Oscar Gonzalez
Oscar Gonzalez
brink confidence consumer great possibly surprise
We are possibly on the brink of war, so it would have been a great surprise if consumer confidence hadn't fallen.
along begin business consumers continue economy falter few fuel gear higher later next shift spending sustain worry
Consumers will continue to spend, and that will keep the economy chugging along for the next few months. But without some help, I worry that consumers could begin to falter later in the year. We need more business spending to fuel the economy's shift into a higher gear and sustain the recovery.
consumers deter ease fears fed market rates report several showing signs tame
The report isn't so tame as to deter the Fed from bumping rates another notch, especially with Y2K fears dissipating and consumers showing no signs of fatigue. However, it should ease market fears that the Fed will need to tighten several more times.
against confidence consumer decrease downside improvement improving including increase jobs protection slump solid spending suggest sustained
While improving consumer confidence probably suggests downside protection against a slump in spending, it does not suggest we will see spending take off. We still need a sustained improvement in the jobs market, including a significant decrease in unemployment with a solid increase in real wages.
act both business confidence consumer deeper fed further greenspan rate remains sooner street timing wall
I think the Fed will act aggressively. The timing remains to be seen, but both Main Street and Wall Street are pleading for further rate cuts, so I think Greenspan will respond. The sooner and deeper a rate cut, the sooner consumer and business confidence should improve.
biggest blow consumers crushing decline employment factor growth job october report rise sharp shows single
If, as expected, the October employment report shows a sharp rise in unemployment and a sharp decline in job growth, it could be a crushing blow to confidence. Having a job is probably the single biggest factor in consumers having confidence.
aggressive along becomes clearer consumers fed investors longer
The longer we go along this path, the clearer it becomes that the Fed may have to jolt consumers and investors with a more aggressive policy,
finally good labor markets news occasional positive surprise
We're finally getting consistently good news on the labor markets and even an occasional positive surprise like today's report.
allow alone begin businesses earnings reach until
Until businesses feel a real need for more hands-until productivity alone won't allow them to reach their earnings goals-they won't begin hiring.
additional benefit businesses cause corporate costs critical cutting delay further lean rising sluggish
Rising benefit costs are cutting into already lean corporate profits. This may cause businesses to further delay additional hiring, which is critical to boosting the sluggish economy.
crude energy front mean nobody prices record relief sees time trade
Record crude prices usually mean record trade gaps. Nobody sees relief on the energy front any time soon.
dismal imports overall terms trend
The overall trend is still pretty dismal in terms of imbalances between imports and exports.
ancient certainly economy emerging federal figures inflation last might reflect reserve rising simply six suggest terms worrying
Today's figures simply reflect an economy still emerging from a recession; there's certainly nothing here to suggest inflation rising from the ashes. In terms of impact, it might as well be ancient history, especially now. The Federal Reserve is back to worrying about where inflation will be in six months, not where it was last month.
demand economies economy inflation pressures raise recession resulting simply slack
Inflation is on the mat and not getting up soon. With the U.S. economy still in a recession and economies around the world weak, demand is slack and resulting in no inflationary pressures at all. Simply put, no one can raise prices.