The local Louisville Courier-Journal reported today, 3/30, that despite what most are saying about a looming if not already present recession, transportation stocks are performing quite well. Kenneth Tower, chief market strategist at Covered Bridge Tactical states “Here we are in what most people think is going to be an extended economic slowdown and yet we have much better action, certainly among the truckers and railroads, than one would expect.” Why is that good news for our economy? Think about it. How do all goods and services get to the local stores? They are delivered in bulk by ship, train, to a large semi-trailer. Then the goods are broken down from their bulk shipments into local delivery quantities, then delivered to your local store by UPS, or another less than truck-load transportation company. And if trucks are still moving goods, that means people are buying them! Proof is in my visit to our local mall yesterday. The parking lot nicely full, and the mall bustling with activity. Outside people were picking up furniture and large purchases in their pickups, and everyone had a bag in hand when leaving (except me).Despite mainstream media’s attempt to convince us our economy is slagging, we are consumers driven by pleasure derived out of our next purchase. This economy may take a breather, but it’s not going south. We just love our “stuff” too much!
A Word About Polls On The Economy
March 28, 2008As a student of marketing, I spent quite a bit of time learning about, and executing studies, or polls. One thing I can tell you about polls is, dig deeper. For the number to be statistically significant, polls must be unbiased, random, and have a reasonable number of responses relative to the overall population you are applying the results to. For example, CNN can’t put a few people outside a two or three office buildings in New York, and expect those responses to translate to the nation as a whole. It’s not random; you’ve pre-selected your audience by location, region, etc… And even if you get 1,000 responses, do you think that’s going to be representative of a nation of over 300,000,000 people? Not even close.So while some polls can be quite useful, most of those you hear referred to on television are not what I would consider a reliable representative of the current situation. Just keep these things in mind when polls are being discussed in the media.
Personal Spending Up In February
March 28, 2008WSJ reports personal spending up only .1% in February. Well, given that the media has tried to choke us into a recession, I’ll take that we’ve actually flown in the face of this and actually increased our consumption. That combined with my previous post that reported personal income up, and that’s a recipe for a good old fashioned recovery. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120670656497671569.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us
Personal Income Up, Inflation Moderating, What Gives?
March 28, 2008Reuter’s reports personal income rose better than expected, and inflation is moderating. Another sign that a recession is only going to happen if we allow it to. It seems mainstrea media is trying to talk us into it, but our consumption habits refuse to give way… Go America!http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN2737053020080328?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews
Irony In The Housing Market Slump
March 26, 2008I spoke to a friend of mine who owns a company that builds walls, driveways, etc…out of bricks and pavers. His business is moderately successful from what I can tell. I asked him if the housing slump had hurt his business. He told me he has been as busy as ever. In fact he’s bidding some of his largest jobs ever right now. One is a driveway to be built out of brick, over 10 semi-trailer loads full! At over $180,000 bid, it’ll be one of his biggest ever. He went on to tell me that most of the people buying these homes and asking for the upgrades are the baby boomer generation. He said they’ve got money, and they’re spending it. I found it interesting enough that people of this generation (I’m a baby boomer….barely…born in 1964), in this time, are willing to go out and spend that kind of money. It goes to show that there are plenty of people that are ignoring the “doom and gloomers” and are sticking to their plans, and helping the economy along. Let’s just hope they’re not throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Consumer Confidence Rises
March 25, 2008Having taken a downward trend in recent months, consumer confidence is on the rise in a most recent Gallup poll. Perhaps due to this blog? LOL Or maybe people are coming to the realization that if we don’t panic, there will be no need to panic. http://www.gallup.com/poll/105598/Gallup-Daily-Positive-Rating-Economy-Back-20.aspx
NAFTA Good For Our Economy, But Only Slightly
March 25, 2008NAFTA has benefitted our economy since its implementation in 1994 under the Clinton Administration. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032401562.html
Existing Home Sales UP over 5% in February
March 24, 2008Existing home sales increased a reported 5.8%. A big jump for the troubled sector. That, combined with J.P. Morgan’s five-fold increase in its bid for Bear Stearns, and the stock market reacts! Many feel we may have seen the bottom of this short-lived economic stumble.http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN2431163120080324?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews
IC Insights Says “NO” To Recession…
March 22, 2008IC Insights, a leader in providing research and forecasts for the semi-conductor industry remains confident in the US economy. Stating that while the US economy has seen better times, they are holding to their initial growth forecasts.http://www.edn.com/CA6543773.html
Fed’s Action Is Positive For The Economy
March 22, 2008It seems that suddenly the Fed’s move to back financial institutions doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Good news for borrowers, good news for consumers, and good news for our economy. Read more at Reuters:http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSWBT00863320080321?feedType=nl&feedName=usdai
Posted by tzugidan
Posted by tzugidan
Posted by tzugidan 