Do you think we should clean up our own back yard before telling others to do the same? If you do then it is The American people who will be forced into submission not China. That was my point.

Yes I did read this thread. I've been keeping tabs on it from the beginning.

 

"BLS: The unemployment rate in April was 8.6% (revised down from 8.9%), up from 4.8 percent a year earlier."

"BLS: 291 of 310 met areas reported YoY declines in employment, while seventeen reported increases. Two met areas had no change."

Unemployment slowing? Looks like it.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

 

Thanks for the advice, but my investments are doing just fine. The reason I am pessimistic is because I continue to read things like this:


June 3 (Bloomberg) Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said large U.S. budget deficits threaten financial stability and the government can’t continue indefinitely to borrow at the current rate to finance the shortfall.

“Unless we demonstrate a strong commitment to fiscal sustainability in the longer term, we will have neither financial stability nor healthy economic growth.”

Bernanke’s comments signal that the central bank sees risks of a relapse into financial turmoil even as credit markets show signs of stability. He said the Fed won’t finance government spending over the long term, while warning that the financial industry remains under stress and the credit crunch continues to limit spending.

 

If they are, you're not taking your own advice. The markets are UP 30%+ since March. Many stocks have doubled and tripled and some are even at all-time highs (autozone, netflix to name a couple).

What do you expect him to say, "things are fine"???

But as I was saying:

"June 4 (Bloomberg) -- Fewer American workers filed claims for jobless benefits last week, signaling that the worst phase of the employment slump has passed. "

"Greater efficiency is contributing to an improvement in profits that will likely lead to fewer job cuts in coming months, analysts said."

U.S. Economy: Jobless Claims Fall, Productivity Rises (Update1) - Bloomberg.com

"Wal-Mart to hire 22,000"

Wal-Mart to hire 22,000 - bizjournals:

Believe what you want. I posted graphs showing indicators at their extremes and if you can't see a reversal coming, I don't know what to tell you. Its like arguing whether Yellow trucks are yellow or orange.

 

There are more to investments than just stocks. I have real estate in three states and two countries. Two of the three states where I have properties have seen values continue to rise, along with rents. Medical devises are also doing well.



What do you expect him to say, "things are fine"??? [/quote]

I expect him to tell the truth, which he did.

This same article also sez "Initial applications for unemployment insurance fell by 4,000 to 621,000"

Great, a .0064% drop.



That is 22,000 of mostly minimum wage jobs for people selling mostly imported goods.

A new WalMart did bring up the value of some of my properties, though...

 

Awesome! Though, it seems you have it pretty good to be so worried about a recession.

No.... If we're expecting double-digit unemployment, we should get a gain, not a drop. A drop means the rate is no longer accelerating. And since employment will be the absolute LAST thing to recover, signs of any kind of improvement speaks volumes for what is happening to other aspects of the economy.

Why should that matter?

So, gathering all this together we have: Your property values are rising, medical devices are selling, rate of employment decline slowing, consumer confidence looking up, oil almost $70, copper nearly doubled and on par with 2005 levels, stocks up 30% and still rising, and earnings of most companies are beating estimates and many are blowing them away.... In the face of all this, how could I conclude we are once again headed down the path towards a recession and double digit unemployment?

Here's an article everybody seems to like: The Geography of Recession | STRATFOR

I highly recommend a subscription to stratfor. Last fall they called an end to the recession sometime this year. So far, they're on pace to have been correct.

 

Very interesting. There are other signs the economy is doing OK as well; I'm just pessimistic because of the massive new debt with no end to government spending in sight. What this administration is attempting to do to our healthcare is frightening – not to mention what it will do to our economy. There are also new forms of government interference, and too much "stimulus" going to welfare. Higher prices for oil, copper, etc., could be a good thing if we were allowed to drill/mine here, but we are not. Another reason I am pessimistic is because of the push towards massive taxation from the VAT tax and even worse, the energy tax.

 

Ft Worth Startelegram. 6/5/09

 

I agree, I'm scared of all this change at one time too. Not sure I can digest it all in one sitting. But, I'm optimistic, so somehow it will all work itself out. Hopefully. Not sure what I could do about it anyway. Not sure how I could make a buck off it either except to sell dollars. However, staying out of the way of this dollar rally has been consuming a lot of my time the last few days.

Did you see the employment report?

"The Labor Department says 345,000 jobs were lost in May, significantly less than the half-million job losses economists had been expecting and the fewest job losses since September.

However, the unemployment rate surged to a slightly higher-than-expected 9.4 percent from 8.9 percent in April."

Stock market pares gains after jobs report - Yahoo! Finance=

They say NFP is the more accurate number.

 

Oh, , didn't know you posted the same news till after I already replied to DeeDawg.