26 Sep 2003

Posted at 11:12h in The Friday Brief by
All of this week’s economic data has been released in the last two days.  That conveniently coincided with my return yesterday after spending a few days on my annual trip to the impoverished and twice recently flooded coalfields of West Virginia.  In light of our recent discussions ofAmerica’s waning manufacturing presence, I was struck by the awesome cost of inflexibility in a rapidly changing world. 

18 Sep 2003

Posted at 11:24h in The Friday Brief by
This week’s Brief will be just that due to Hurricane Isabel’s eminent arrival.  With the likelihood that we might not have power or Internet connections tomorrow, we wanted to get it out today before conditions degrade, as they are doing pretty quickly. 

12 Sep 2003

Posted at 15:55h in The Friday Brief by
The S&P gave up a half a percentage point this week while the NASDAQ declined by .64%.  The economic news was mixed and gave little boost to the market in either direction.  Retail stocks led the decline as some investors and analysts fretted that the increase in mortgage rates would slow refinancing, thereby reducing a major source of consumer funds.  Another factor weighing on the market was the release of yet another bin Laden tape on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary. 

05 Sep 2003

Posted at 16:08h in The Friday Brief by
The S&P is up 2% and the NASDAQ is up 3.2% for the week.  Progress continues on the economic front as signs mount that the recovery is fully underway.  The short week following Labor Day started on a high note with ISM Manufacturing rising to 54.7, its highest reading since December.  It was also the second month above 50 signaling thatU.S.manufacturing is growing after four months of contraction.  The Institute’s production index rose to 61.6, the highest in four years.  Inventories are lean so factories must step up production to meet rising demand.  But so far, the increase in factory output has not increased hiring as productivity continues to rise faster than the economy.