by Maddog » Thu Oct 04, 2018 3:53 am
Most news seems to have emanated from the smartphone of President Donald Trump and markets have had days of concern and weeks of contentment, resulting in a reasonable summer for investors. Most independent observers will grudgingly admit that whatever Trump has done, intentionally or accidentally, it is working at the moment. If there was a poll taken today on the economy alone, he would win by a landslide.https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-op ... rump-doingThe numbers: A survey of business executives pointed to the strongest U.S. growth in September in more than two decades, suggesting the economy is primed for a strong finish in 2018.
The Institute for Supply Management’s survey of non-manufacturing firms climbed to a 21-year high of 61.6 last month from 58.5. It’s the highest mark of the current nine-year-old expansion and the second strongest reading in the history of an index whose roots stretch back to 1997.
Numbers over 50 are viewed as positive for the economy, and anything over 55 is considered exceptional. The ISM services index includes an array of companies in areas such as finance, health care and retail that employ about 80% of all Americans.https://www.marketwatch.com/story/anoth ... 2018-10-03Following Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell's description of the U.S. economic outlook as "remarkably positive", market watchers are fielding questions as to how long this rosy period might last.
The answer? Quite some time, in the words of Chicago Fed chief executive Charles Evans -- but only if interest rates are hiked to above neutral, which Evans describes as just over 3 percent.
"The U.S. economy is doing extremely well. Fundamentals are strong, the labor market is doing terrific," Evans told CNBC's Squawk Box Europe on Wednesday. Indeed, unemployment is currently below 4 percent, its lowest level in 18 years; payroll employment has added more than 200,000 jobs per month and inflation is up to the Fed's target level of 2 percent.https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/03/the-us- ... -says.htmlOne can debate why the US economy is doing so well, but there is no debate that it is doing well.
[i]Most news seems to have emanated from the smartphone of President Donald Trump and markets have had days of concern and weeks of contentment, resulting in a reasonable summer for investors. Most independent observers will grudgingly admit that whatever Trump has done, intentionally or accidentally, it is working at the moment. If there was a poll taken today on the economy alone, he would win by a landslide.[/i]
https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2166906/whos-laughing-now-least-us-economy-trump-doing
[i]The numbers: A survey of business executives pointed to the strongest U.S. growth in September in more than two decades, suggesting the economy is primed for a strong finish in 2018.
The Institute for Supply Management’s survey of non-manufacturing firms climbed to a 21-year high of 61.6 last month from 58.5. It’s the highest mark of the current nine-year-old expansion and the second strongest reading in the history of an index whose roots stretch back to 1997.
Numbers over 50 are viewed as positive for the economy, and anything over 55 is considered exceptional. The ISM services index includes an array of companies in areas such as finance, health care and retail that employ about 80% of all Americans.[/i]
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/another-key-barometer-of-us-economy-hits-postrecession-high-ism-service-index-soars-2018-10-03
[i]Following Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell's description of the U.S. economic outlook as "remarkably positive", market watchers are fielding questions as to how long this rosy period might last.
The answer? Quite some time, in the words of Chicago Fed chief executive Charles Evans -- but only if interest rates are hiked to above neutral, which Evans describes as just over 3 percent.
"The U.S. economy is doing extremely well. Fundamentals are strong, the labor market is doing terrific," Evans told CNBC's Squawk Box Europe on Wednesday. Indeed, unemployment is currently below 4 percent, its lowest level in 18 years; payroll employment has added more than 200,000 jobs per month and inflation is up to the Fed's target level of 2 percent.[/i]
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/03/the-us-economy-is-set-to-look-good-for-quite-some-time-chicago-fed-ceo-says.html
One can debate why the US economy is doing so well, but there is no debate that it is doing well.