About
I’ve grown tired of mainstream media looking for, finding, and feeding us primarily negative news about our economy. WE are our economy, and we’re better than that! We drive the economy with consumption, here and abroad. My feeling is that the more negative news we’re fed, the less likely we are to consume goods and services, resulting in layoffs, which in turn further reduces consumption.
The Fed lowers interest rates to spur consumption. They get this, unfortunately most of us do not. While it must be tempered with preparing for the worst, and retirement, we must not get caught up in the “sky is fallin” mentality, or it is my belief that we will fulfill our own prophesy of doom for our economy….and our prosperity.
Have a positive economic news story? Email the link to me at barryl@symbionmarketing.com and I will post it! Join the democratization of positive economic news.
And since I do not monetize this blog in any way, I would certainly appreciate any referrals for my company: www.symbionmarketing.com.
Thank you.
All
Searching for “Good Economic News” brought me to this remarkable site. I write for Politico via blogs, and others. Retired, with more time than money, I research for the Positive side of the Global Economies. Today’s world of Negative News is indeed a troublesome situation. I have a resource in the Latte Liberal state of Vermont, who contrary to the other 49 states opinion, is indeed willing to be the last man standing in business. So to find a site that specializes in Good News is indeed refreshing.
Thanks and I will be back
end
Thought you might appreciate some good local news from upstate New York.
http://www.rbj.net/fullarticle.cfm?sdid=72528
Hi!
Also found you while looking for some good economic news; a scarce item today (Oct 6 2008)…
There is a tremendous herd mentality in the mainstream media as well as a tendency to overstate the negative. The sky is falling.
When oil prices were on the upswing, it was negative, negative, negative. Everybody seemed to miss the point that increasing demand and consumption (of pretty much anything…) is GOOD economic news. When most of the world’s economies are expanding, it will sooner or later be good news for the US as well. They buy our stuff.
Here we are a few months and one big rescue plan later, and not a word about China or India? What happened, have they suddenly given up on growth? Of course not, we are just focusing on the bad news.
Also, I have not seen a single mention yet of the fact that the rapid decrease in the price of oil will almost certainly stop any fear of inflation in its tracks. And if it holds up, it will ‘save’ us all billions of dollars that might otherwise have been burned up in aircraft, military machines, cars, trucks, boats etc…
The good news is there, we just have to adjust our radar every now and then and not focus on just one issue at a time…
A long time ago I read that the way non-professionals can gauge the economy is to see what economists are worried about.
Economists are always worried – there is always news they consider to be bad.
But, it depends upon exactly what is keeping them awake at night.
If it’s something we can understand, such as unemployment , inflation, or a falling DOW, then things are bad.
On the other hand, if it’s somewhat esoteric – requiring explanation – such as wholesale and crude inventories, capacity utilization, or the chain deflator, then the economy is doing OK.
My point is that there is always good and bad economic news, but the important distinction is the time-frame in which the news is relevant.
Rising unemployment is bad right now. Applications for building permits is good for the next year.
I’m very interested in this site and its perspective. It will be a great contributor to a general understanding of the economy if it presents positive news – such as Buffet’s investment in the stock market – in the proper context. Buffet’s move is one of long-term faith in the American economy. He may see trouble right now, but he’s betting against a depression and for a better economy in the next year or so.
I just did a search for “postive economic news” this morning, and discovered this site. You’re article about stopping the constant watch of the DJIA and about the fact that we need to continue to consume pretty much tracks my belief.
When this whole problem with the mortage fallout started a year ago, I said then that this would be a self-fulfilling prophecy unless somebody did something to stop the irrational (media) from announcing the sky is falling.
Nobody seems to get that our entire economic system is based entirely on faith and has nothing to do with real numbers, and that as long as we all agree that things are fine and continue to borrow and consume, the machine stays “well oiled.”
Anyway, thanks for putting up the site. It was good to know that there is at least one other person out there who fundamentally “gets it.”
I just typed in “positive economic news” and found this. What a relief! My IRA may be tanking but what can I do about it now? I recall Johnny Carson many years ago during some economic crisis in the late 70s making a joke about a looming toilet paper shortage and believe it or not the next day in our local Safeway in our small town a thousand miles from Hollywood you couldn’t find a single roll. Now that’s a panic. It sure illustrates how we can be influenced even by fake news. Stay positive!
Hey!
The Index of Leading Indicators for September rose 0.3%. The briefing forecast said it would be down 0.4% while the market was expecting a drop of 0.1%.
Even though this index brings no new news to the market – all of its components are known in advance so anyone can calculate it before its release – up is good. Especially after 5 months of falling.
Hang in there, everyone!
I too am fed up with traditional media consistently reporting negative aspects of economic news (and news in general). I believe the negative reporting is profit driven in that it scares people who keep returning to the negative media source to see if things are going to be alright. Of course, they just get more of the same negative slant on news stories. It’s a cycle and a profitable one at that. We shouldn’t forget that media outlets are profit driven enterprises.
KUDOS TO YOU FOR THIS EXCELLENT SITE! It’s about time! I’ve bookmarked it and will send it to all my friends.
Great Blog – came across this by “accident”, keep it up!
not sure how to get this to your site but thought worth mentioning.
http://www.robertlynn.com/attachments/Contact%20Directories/NAI%20Offices/NAID00097753/NAI_Industrial_Sector_RobertLynn.pdf
The present economic situation is 90% mental, 10% fundamental. If you look at the economic factors today vs. two years ago, there is one fundamental difference: The decrease in home prices due to inappropriate lending practices. However, the subprime lending still represents less than 5% of US homes, and the default rate is less than half of that. From this one core issue stems many, if not most of the problems facing the world economy. People are still going to work, living their lives, and nothing else has changed…except that oil is half the price, enormous resources are being poured into making our cars and industry more efficient, and the industrial machines of the Far East continue to grow. Doesn’t sound like a recipe for a depression to me.
I am so glad to see this forum. I would love to take it to another level…iamnotparticipatinginthisrecession.com, but I don’t have the know how to set up a website. in the meantime, I look forward to steering people to this site and making contributions. If people believe in the positive, than the positive will thrive. The same goes for the negative.
Let’s make the right choice.
Business, and life, does not sit on a shelf. I went looking for such a site as this today. I have had it with mainstream media and find I must turn it off for a period of time or I’ll go crazy dwelling on the bad. Thanks for taking the time to maintain this blog.
I just did a Google search for positive economic news, just after I wrote the following at another site. I wrote:
“How about the media start reporting some good things going on?
I don’t know about you, but I am getting more and more anxious every day. I worry about this country and the people in it. The more I listen to and read the news the more depressed I get and the more fearful I get. I know there must be some business that is doing okay and there must be some good things that are going on. Surely there are some good things that can be reported and start making people feel a little better and that may just even help to get some of the economy to recover.”
Finding your site was like a ray of sunshine. Thank you. Now, how can we get some media attention and get them on board?
Thanks for this site! Please keep it up. I’ve noticed the pack mentality of both the media and most economists.
It’s refreshing to have these kinds of news stories presented to balance things off.
I am a small business owner in Tokyo, and positive news is even more needed here than in the US. Japan has already been through a slump, and the fundamentals are OK. However, the level of mental depression is also this country’s worst enemy.
Isn’t that the case everywhere? The opposite of Greenspan’s “irrational exuberance”. Now we have irrational melancholy.
Superb website, keep up the great work!.
I just found your website and I agree with this idea of good news wholeheartedly!!!
I own a small business togethet with my brother, we spent 10 years slowly building our market, our reputation and now have customers in more than 10 countries. While a lot of companies were on a credit-financed party, we worked slowly but steadily. And now it is paying off. No debt, barely any fixed costs and ongoing matketing. We are actually doing well!
Also, I hear from a lot of other business owners, that they are doing well in their niche markets. But business reporting tends to catch the big companies – in good times and in bad.
Thank you for providing good news
Andrea
Thanks for the great site. Not all is gloom and doom. Here are a couple of stories for you.
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us%2F0-0&fd=R&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dallasnews.com%2Fsharedcontent%2Fdws%2Fdn%2Flatestnews%2Fstories%2FDN-HealthCareers_25bus.ART0.State.Edition1.11575.html&cid=1297364354&ei=Lft9SbK6JJ6wQOubyJwH&usg=AFQjCNFpoy-VqROj06xDiDfeDF1lf1AyEA
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/01/26/daily11.html
Here is another good one.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Pending-home-sales-post-apf-14235513.html
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. After I looked for 6 weeks straight for something, anything positive in the paper and there was not a stitch. I gave up watching and reading the news. “If it bleeds it leads”. Well it seems more if it is duress then it must be in the press. I have a customer who is a PR manager for a marketing company, she called the local paper to give one of her clients some well deserved good PR, the paper told her they would not print it.
Again, thank you, and you are already on my ‘favorites list’
Whew! Nice to see some good news! I don’t bother with the newspaper any more, just the obits.
Here is a great story:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/12/cities-ten-realestate-forbeslife-cx_mw_0112realestate.html?partner=popstories
I really salute you for this excellent site. This is a solid effort to alienate ourselves from the clutches of negative news influx.
Though the facts shared in this site were all related to your country but sitting in India, I derived huge inspiration from it.
Irrespective of our geo-political & other differences as human beings we always have a choice, i.e. “To think positive so that we gain positive”.
- Sudipta
I noted this site on the Facebook group I joined: “10,000 to stop the Media to Inciting more fear and panic.”
Thank you, you have given me the perspective I need to stay focused on the future, and reminded me what a great and resilent country we live in. I know this mess will pass, just not sure how long it will take. I am very blessed to have a healthy family, first and foremost. You have inspired me to start a campaign of positive news. I started a group on facebook, “positive economic news only,” My next goal is to send these stories to the local media. I live in St. Charles, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Thanks again,
Kathy Windsor.
UAE plans ban on negative economic reporting
Posted by Cory Doctorow, February 22, 2009 4:18 AM | permalink
The United Arab Emirates is considering legislation that would criminalize publication of anything that would “harm the economy.” Already, the local press is pulling back from their coverage of the steep decline in Dubai property values and the rise in deportations, voluntary departure, and abandonment of unsaleable assets, such as cars.
Instead of moving toward greater transparency, the emirates seem to be moving in the other direction. A new draft media law would make it a crime to damage the country’s reputation or economy, punishable by fines of up to 1 million dirhams (about $272,000). Some say it is already having a chilling effect on reporting about the crisis.
Last month, local newspapers reported that Dubai was canceling 1,500 work visas every day, citing unnamed government officials. Asked about the number, Humaid bin Dimas, a spokesman for Dubai’s Labor Ministry, said he would not confirm or deny it and refused to comment further. Some say the true figure is much higher.
“At the moment there is a readiness to believe the worst,” said Simon Williams, HSBC bank’s chief economist in Dubai. “And the limits on data make it difficult to counter the rumors.”
I found this site while looking for positive news and I applaud your efforts. Upon reading this “About” section of your site though I have one HUGE problem. It’s the line that says “We drive the economy with consumption, here and abroad.” I truly believe that consumption and consumerism is the problem with our country and our economy. Production is the only way to build wealth and prosperity.
Sorry to put something other than praise on your site and I’m sure there are other venues I should have probably used. I truly do appreciate what you’re trying to do by showing that there is still good in this economy. If people would stop with the gloom & doom, get off their duff and implement some ideas then our country could again be the great productive force of the world yet again.
Thanks
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_615239.html
Dish Network customer service site in suburban Pittsburgh to add 100 jobs
I have recently strated positivenewsoutlet.blogspot.com for ‘Positive News Outlet’ and then googled to see if there are similar sites out there. Sure enough I found your site. Kudos! We need more of these talk.
http://positivenewsoutlet.blogspot.com/#
I showed a friend the ‘I Can Only Imagine’ video. He has a multiply handicapped child. He cried. Thank you!
When looking for the positive, consider the spirit and attitude of the front line warriors that keep today’s economy going.
It’s the little guys and gals that are the unsung heroes in these depressing economic times. They are the small business owners…the ones who keep others employed, oft times at their own personal expense and well-being.
These economic champions borrow on their own lines of credit to keep the economy going and their shops open, most with no end in sight until their borrowing options run out. They maximize their business lines of credit. They raid what savings and retirement funds they have and endure horrific credit card interest rates to keep their neighbors, and America, at work.
Many struggle to avoid downsizing their businesses as they stare into the dark, unable to sleep night after night and searching for answers. Some put off cutting their staff and salaries as long as possible because they understand the impact on real lives that will result by slashing and laying off. Each pay period, against overwhelming odds including cash flow impediments, they sacrifice and keep things going, hoping for signs of sparks that will promote increased business and result in enhanced revenue. Now some 13 plus months into this “recession” (which the government just recognized in December) these individuals are the real warriors of main street who put the Wall Street egos to shame. These protagonists make the cogs of our economy run even in the toughest of times and will continue to do so.
These owners and opeators of private corporations, partnerships and other business entities put off paying some of their own bills to support those that work for them. They refuse to utter the words “bankruptcy,” ”defeat” and “quit.” They steadfastly toil to avert economic Armageddon every hour. And each pay period that passes with obligations met, they pause, reflect with a sigh and a whisper of relief…as they start the whole process again to keep their workers and businesses afloat for another day.
When times were good, these business leaders (millions of them) got by and sometimes flourished. Now that the pendulum has swung toward a new economic reality, these economic heros need help. President Obama gets it and says help is on the way for small business…but as of today, no one knows even the slightest about the details or what that promise means or how it will materialize. The need for “economic change” grows not by the month but by the day for these business denizens, who operate on solid good faith and an ingrained sense of optimism that they, and those employed by them, will survive and enter a new and better reality.
For them, failure is not an option.
The tolls of stress and survival effect them physically and mentally. Meeting payrolls is not an easy task. The distraction of simply staying in business eats away at productivity due the need to concentrate on survivial. The pressure is almost overwhelming to those who run small businesses. They make it up by getting through the day, reaching for tangible and creative methods to survive and keeping their doors open. Each paycheck they hand out is a singular accomplishment.
These people have pride. They have fortitude. They will not give up. Some are finding inner resources of financial creativity they never knew they had. Business owners exercise to maintain their sanity, they vent…and so far, the vast majority have kept it all together, while increasingly worried about tomorrow’s headlines and the psyche of those who are supposed to understand the complex economy of this new century.
There are business heroes in all sectors of the economy. They build homes and products, they provide essential services as professionals, they run the stores grease the economic engine of our nation. They keep American productivity flowing through the stream of commerce, even in tiny and almost imperceptible ways. And with all that is happening, they keep on persisting…believing…and working.
Those at the forefront of small business need genuine recognition from Congress. ”Push the pork aside and lead” is their mantra. It’s not all about huge corporations that need help. It’s about the shop owners, the small manufacturuers, the people who provide essential services through unnoticed business enterprises. America’s economic heroes need a “bailout” much more than banks who seek to put their names on stadiums or who hand out billions of taxpayer dollars in bonuses while the rest of us look on in disbelief and disdain.
We will get out of this. And when the financial history of this period is committed to the books, the small business operators will get their credit…much more than they are getting right now.
I have linked to your site as an example of positive thinking. Thanks for all you do to show us there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Mitch Chester
SharedEmergency.wordpress.com
Excellent post Mitch, perfectly said. My small business, along with many of my small clients are scavenging market share right now from the big, lethargic competitors that have inflated expenses. Small companies that are well managed are doing fine right now, assuming that credit allows them “float” for the expenses of picking up business…which is what I’m dealing with…
Thanks for stopping by Mitch…great contribution. Barry
Here is another story from this part of the world. The media never reports that only 15% of Japan’s GDP is exports — there is a huge domestic economy (2nd in the world!), which is in a state of panic, although the banking system is healthy, people are working, etc.
I hope I can find the time to set up a Japanese language site….
All the best,
Alec
Japan seeing signs of recovery
| March 31, 2009 From: The Australian
JAPAN’S industrial production slumped 9.4 per cent in February, but for the first time since October manufacturers expect their outputs to rise.
A Ministry of Economy Industry and Trade survey shows Japanese manufacturers expected industrial production to rise 2.9 per cent this month and by 3.1 per cent in April.
Hopes that manufacturers are beginning to feel the bottom of the worst slump in 60 years were boosted by evidence of heavy inventory rundowns — the inventory index fell 4.2 per cent, the sharpest month-on-month reduction on record.
related linkClick here to read the full article on the website
Alternatively, you can copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25265117-36418,00.html
I wanted to thank you very much for this website. It has lifted me up when I have been down about the economy. I would also like to thank you for your post of the Dick Hoyt story (I can only imagine song). My 8th grade daughter developed a speech about it after I showed it to her for her school speech competition. After advancing through several rounds, she finished 2nd today in the final round today. Keep up the great work and God Bless you and your family.
Although less production can seem negative, it is really positive: http://indexbeating.com/2009/04/08/inventory/
Please understand that I love the idea of positive thinking and positive reporting. But, please understand that we would have much more of it to write and report if the market was truly free to allow market entrepreneurs rathter than political entrepreneurs to provide goods/services/productive wealth. The FED pushing interest rates low via open market transactions is not a free market activity, unfortunately.
Consumption does not drive the economy; wealth producting activity does. I know it does not sound ‘PC’ or warm and fuzzy, but it is true.
I applaud you for posting the positive news about the interactions of business and people. Maybe you can get some of your readership to realize that sometimes less is more; producing real value in exchange for a dollar earned should be the backbone of an economy, not simply consumption.
Sincerely,
Matt Novak
Hi Matt and thanks for commenting. But consumption in fact does drive our economy, 75% of it. If you think about it, what is “wealth producing activity?” Entrepreneurs go into business to sell goods or services, that’s it. And they don’t make a dime until someone buys their goods/services? I know, I am one…and all the tax breaks on Earth do me no good right now…I’m not expanding, hiring, or investing until things start to look up. I hope this is a useful opinion. If not, we’ll just agree to disagree. It’s OK, we’re all right sometimes, and all wrong at others.
Either way, thanks for stopping by. If you wan to elaborate on your thought process, please do. I’d be interested in hearing more about it…
Regards,
Thanks for your note and the thoughts.
I completely agree, at present, our economy is one primarily made up of consumption (here in America this is especially true). In fact, I guess at bottom there is nothing but consumption (the question is, consumption of what?).
To me, a fundamental question is whether that is really the right thing to try to reproduce or get back to as a ‘norm’ (that is, roughly 70% of the economy in service-based/financial/consumption industries). I would like to see America productive and sending exports to others in need of our products again, rather than uneneding trade deficits and an economy that runs primarily on credit based consumption of ‘stuff’. I am not saying “buy American” or anything of the sort; rather I mean let us be competitive by allowing indviduals and small business owners the latitude to compete by allowing them the freedom to compete with as little interference as possible. America was built into the greatest industrial power without a single credit card – yes it was hard going, and yes there was a lot of difficulty for people/etc., but that is what it takes to enrich a society. Sacrifice and personal responsibility. Loans were based on very discriminating standards; if you were even remotely in doubt of being able to pay, you didn’t get credit.
As for the FED, what signal does it send when they set interest rates low? It tells businesses that there is ample savings to support future consumption, when in reality this is a falsehood; there is not ample savings to support future consumption of anything (at least here in America). The interest rate is a price that when manipulated to a low level shows a false sense of security to an entrepreneur; if it only costs 4% to get a loan to embark on a business venture, he or she will be far more likely to make the risk than if interest rates ar 8-10%; he does this assuming the savings of capital is there to buy his products when he gets them to market. This is where we get ‘clusters of errors’ in judgement. Many businesses invest/risk based on assumption of availability of capital for future consumption, but if the FED then decides it is time to discontinue open market operations (purchasing bonds/treasuries/mortgage backed securities) and allows rates to rise to a market level, suddenly there is not enough capital available to support all these ventures. This is why I can drive down a three mile stretch of road here in Tucson and see not less than 21 office/commercial spaces for sale or lease. This is a cluster of errors that came from the artificially low price of money. When it dried up, those ‘boom’ businesses scraped hard and many, many failed.
I am happy to see good news about the economy; we are all in it together (we are, afterall the economy, not some fancy men in suits who sit in Washington, D.C.). Keep up the good work!
Matt
We miss your posts. Hope all is going well.
I’ve been looking for good economic news since last year. Thanks! You may want to check out these two articles too:
http://www.fwallstreet.com/blog/178.htm
http://www.fwallstreet.com/blog/179.htm
Ponzio kept a cool head during all of this and inspired me to buy stocks in March and April by clearly explaining why we were not “going down” like the mainstream media tried to make us believe. Best financial move I ever made. I think that every investor should read *at least* the first half of his book too. (Read the second half too if you are very serious about investing, but it was kind of over my head)
Hello,
I was wondering if you would be kind to add a link to our site http://www.positivenewspost.com on your site? We are trying to spread the word that positive news creates more positive news. Your site would be a perfect traffic source.
Thanks,
David
Stop worrying, its not like the world is ending.
Fortunately, I was not affected at all with this. I still have my job, all my friends and families still have a job.
The only way we can stop America’s economy to stop crumbling apart, is to spend.
Lets say you work at a chip Factory. If people get want to save money, they will probably not buy any chips, since its unhealthy, and not a necessity.
But you work at a chip factory?! What now?
Well this is exactly what, every time you don’t buy a product, you pretty much lay off another person!
Now lets extend this!
Lets say you have a home for rent. And the renter is an employee of a chip factory.
But since people weren’t buying chips, they fired him since the chip store couldn’t pay him due to budget cuts.
So now the chip factory guy can’t pay you! You have no renter now, either you find a new renter, or you have no money to spend from the rent money!
Well now you have to cut your budget, you decide not to buy any more shoes, now you laid off a show factory guy! You decide not to buy any more DVD’s, well now you put a DVD store out of bussiness.
See how one guy can affect a whole bunch of people?
If you are a fortunate guy, and still have money, for the economy’s sake! USE IT, this is the key to standing back up!
The US economy has a BIG part in business, if you buy someones product, you support that business, and help an employee not get fired, and you also get your rent money to support more things.
Next time you leave your dollars buried in your pockets, think twice, don’t be selfish to Americans, and help them out, trust me, in the end it will help you not lose your job, because it WILL come back to you, it is a chain that cannot be broken if you don’t help it get back together.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/213128-weekly-rail-report-makes-it-clear-this-is-not-2009-all-over-again?source=dashboard_macro-view
A blog from Seeking Alpha you might like
Thanks Mike. Nice addition!
I would like to know your thoughts on the data that goes in to leading indicators, and to a certain extent coincidental indicators too……for a while those numbers pretty much all pointed towards recovery. Lately, does it seem to give some credence to the “double dip” crowd? Granted, I’m positive. But leading indicators are supposed to be just that……
thanks
jt
Thanks for chiming in John. From what I’m reading growth is still forecasted, although more modestly than previously predicted. LEI’s were up .1% in July, less than expected (surveys of economists brought in numbers about .4%). I’m no economist, I don’t play one on the internet, but I am a marketer and I understand consumer behavior. Confidence is up dramatically since the recession started. People forget how miserable the news was, and the fear it generated. We may well have a “double-dip”, but from what I’m reading it will be nothing like the original recession. I talk to my clients and many think that if Republicans can get hold of the legislature, business climates will relax and companies will breathe easier. I’m not supporting either side, just relaying things I’m hearing from many of my clients. Time will ultimately tell, but we must stay focused on the long-term. You now, prepare for tomorrow but plan for next year, kinda thing…. These ups and downs are just going to be our reality for a while is what I think…perhaps a long while too. For many years we sat fat and happy doing stupid things with our money as a nation…and letting other do it with our money…now, we must pay the price…there’s yin, and if there’s yin….there’s yang… Thanks for your comment…and reading…and for keeping it positive! Barry