23 May 2003

Posted at 15:22h in The Friday Brief by
Today, assuming the Senate does as expected and passes the $350 billion tax cut bill, the campaign for theU.S.presidency in 2004 unofficially begins today.  The health of this economy will make or break Mr. Bush’s re-election bid for the presidency.  His father learned just how fast his huge popularity after the Gulf War dissipated when voters were made to feel that their pocketbooks were threatened by a weakening economy. 

16 May 2003

Posted at 15:25h in The Friday Brief by
It has been easy to focus on the numerous hurdles our economy has endured over the past several years and to assume that new ones will continue to manifest themselves, keeping us in the doldrums.  But, what if things started going right, or even mostly right, for the next several years?  One might argue that conditions have never been better in history for growth than they are today. 

09 May 2003

Posted at 15:32h in The Friday Brief by
Have you noticed that the stock market is doing consistently better in spite of the continuing dreary economic news?  One reason is that we have largely escaped the first quarter earnings cycle without a single major blowup or negative surprise; corporate earnings are coming in better than expected.  What’s more, analysts have shown no signs of cutting their second, third, or fourth quarter earnings estimates. 

02 May 2003

Posted at 15:36h in The Friday Brief by
These days, pretense doesn’t enter the equation when people talk about their money, their livelihood, their personal well-being or that of their families.  I’ve had many a “heart to heart” with clients and friends on just those subjects over the past several months and I’m sure you have too.  People have been scared economically and physically for what seems like a very long time.  Household budgets are tight, jobs are scarce, and people seem to be hunkered down.