Archive for August 2nd, 2010

The economy: Light at the end of the tunnel ?

August 2, 2010

Nope.  Not according to the AP’s survey of leading economists.

That’s confusing (to me) since the President said on the view that he’s got this one under control.

Who to believe ?

* * * * *

Excerpted from: AP survey: A bleaker outlook for economy into 2011, July 29,2010

The U.S. economic recovery will remain slow deep into next year, held back by shoppers reluctant to spend and employers hesitant to hire, according to an Associated Press survey of leading economists.

Economists have turned gloomier in the past three months as “we hit an air pocket in consumer spending,”  They foresee weaker growth – less than 3% — and higher unemployment than they did before.

Growth would have to equal 5 percent for a full year to drive the unemployment rate down by 1 percentage point. Neither the economists in the AP survey nor the Obama administration expects that to happen.

More specifically, economists  forecast:

  • Economic growth the rest of this year and early next year will weaken, to less than 3 percent. From January through May, the economy grew at roughly a 3.5 percent pace.
  • The unemployment rate will be no lower at the end of the year than it is now — 9.5 percent. It will be 2015 or later before the rate falls to a historically normal 5 percent.
  • State budget shortfalls pose a “significant” or “severe” risk to the national economy. The loss of tax revenue has forced state and local governments to cut services and lay off workers. State and local governments cut their spending in the first three months of this year by 3.8%. The drop in state and local government spending shaved about half a percentage point off the U.S. gross domestic product in the first three months of this year.

Full article:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioRXliVfpQrwlEITOiWDGlofCQfAD9H8FSJ80

“Make no mistake, we’re headed in the right direction” … oh, yeah ?

August 2, 2010

Ken’s Take: Q2 GDP growth was 2.4% … 3% is required to hold the unemployment rate constant … that means that next week’s unemployment rate will tick up … unless more unemployeds get discouraged, stop looking for work and don’t get counted in the denominator.

Doesn’t sound like the right direction to me …

* * * * *

Highlights from WSJ: The 2.4% Recovery, July 31, 2010

Savings by households also increased again, to above 6%, which is back to the range of the early 1990s and is a healthy sign.

The great deleveraging that began with business last year is now continuing with consumers.

While some economists fret that this is bad for consumer “demand,” savings don’t vanish from the economy. They are recycled into lending and investment that can drive future growth if businesses see the right opportunities and have enough confidence.

Ken’s Note: the savings do “vanish” if repaid lenders are also shoring up their balance sheets, i.e. holding the capital in reserve – by law or by desire.

* * * * *

The Obama Administration, in its Keynesian confusion, is simultaneously saying the economy is so weak it needs more spending “stimulus” but also strong enough to absorb a huge tax increase.

The message of 2.4% second quarter growth is closer to the opposite: The epic government stimulus has failed to produce the robust expansion the White House promised, and the prospect of higher taxes and more regulation is inhibiting the private animal spirits needed for growth to accelerate.

Ken’s Note: the fight over the Bush tax cuts will be fun to watch … my bet: it’ll be another GITMO … lots of rhetoric, but Bush had it right.

* * * * *

Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703999304575399490468359832.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

Voters’ shifting ideology …

August 2, 2010

Today …

  • 58 percent of voters see Democrats as liberal or very liberal, while 56 percent see Republicans as conservative or very conservative
  • 60 percent of Democrats place the Republican Party to the right of where they place themselves
  • 42 percent of Democrats self-identify as liberal or very liberal
  • 24 percent of Democrats describe themselves as conservative or very conservative
  • 83 percent of Republicans see the Democratic Party as more liberal than they themselves are
  • 65 percent of Republicans think of themselves as conservative or very conservative
  • 5 percent of Republicans call themselves liberal or very liberal

In 2005 …

  • 51 percent of Independents thought that the Republican Party was more conservative than they themselves were
  • 36 percent thought that the Democratic Party was more liberal.
  • Independents considered the Republican Party to be twice as distant from them ideologically as the Democratic Party.

Today …

  • 56 percent of Independents see the Democratic Party as more liberal than they themselves are
  • 39 percent see the Republican Party as more conservative.
  • Independents see the Democratic Party as three times farther away from them ideologically as the Republican Party.

How Americans’ Shifting Political Ideologies Threaten the Democrats, July 28, 2010
http://www.tnr.com/blog/william-galston/76631/democrats-republicans-popularity-new-demographics