My sincerest apologies if I spoiled anyone's morning w/ the news that some good things may be happening in the U.S., but lets realize that life is what it is and we have to be willing to accept the good w/ the bad.
Posted on 03/02/2016 4:29:41 AM PST by expat_panama
ISM Index Near Breakeven
Construction spending jumps as gov’t funds fuel spike in highway activity
The goods sector is starting to carry more of the economic load.
The Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday that its manufacturing index rose to a five-month high of 49.5 in February, up from 48.2 the prior month. While the headline index is still below the neutral 50 level, production and new orders both expanded at the fastest pace since August.
Auto production doesn’t appear ready to cool, as February U.S. sales of cars and trucks rose to a 17.7 million annual pace. While General Motors (GM) saw sales fall 1.5% to 227,825 as it slashed shipments to car rental fleets, Ford (F) and Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) both saw double-digit gains.
Meanwhile, the construction sector’s late-year lull came to an end...
Highway Spending Soars In January
While the construction sector had a solid 2015 overall, it slowed toward the end of the year...
Record warmth in some regions let projects get underway that might otherwise have waited until spring, analysts said. While more federal dollars will help, construction spending likely won’t boom as long as corporate profits are under pressure due to the strong dollar and weak global growth.
The better news from the production sector comes as the consumer mood exhibits more uncertainty. The IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index released Tuesday fell 1 point in the past month to 46.8, the lowest since November. The six-month outlook gauge fell to the lowest level since December 2013.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
My sincerest apologies if I spoiled anyone's morning w/ the news that some good things may be happening in the U.S., but lets realize that life is what it is and we have to be willing to accept the good w/ the bad.
Is it next week or the week after when all the numbers are adjusted downward?
FReepers, just imagine where the economy would be if we had not exported 55,000 factories and laid of 12 million workers over the last 15 years.
The “R” word will never be attached to Obama.
Never.
It’s W’s fault. To criticize obama would be raciss.
“Highway Spending Soars In January”
That’s government spending. Well everywhere except Texas.
Here we fund our own road construction because the Feds
redistribute our highway funds to the lesser states.
So just to make sure I understand the index correctly. Anything over 50 is expansion in manufacturing and anything under 50 is reduction in manufacturing.
So what they’re saying is that by going from 48.2 to 49.5 it’s great news because the reduction in manufacturing has decreased (though it is still a reduction).
Isn’t that a very similar arguement they’re using with unemployment? All the people who’ve dropped off of unemployment roles because their benefits have been used up, though still unemployed, have allowed the unemployment rate to be reduced?
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