30 May 2003

Posted at 15:17h in The Friday Brief by
The S&P has risen five of the past six days or 3.3%, as investors demonstrate more optimism about this country’s economy.  Investor optimism continued to be fueled this week with several positive economic reports.  The first came on Tuesday as the Conference Board reported that consumer confidence in theU.S.rose in May to its highest level in six months.  The confidence index rose to 83.8 in May from 81 in April, the second consecutive monthly increase as energy prices fell and the stock market rose.  An index in the report that measures consumers' attitudes about conditions six months from now rose from 84.8 to 94.4, the highest level since September of last year.  

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.