Stocks climb as economic data again top forecasts

Stocks climb as economic data again top forecasts

www.huffingtonpost.com

NEW YORK — Investors are returning to Wall Street after getting fresh signs that their doomsday forecast for the economy might have been overdone.

The government says February brought unexpected increases in demand for big-ticket manufactured goods and sales of new homes. Economists had expected both readings would add to an extended slump.

Many traders are relieved to see even modest signs that the economy could be halting its slide. Better-than-expected reports on retail sales, housing starts and inflation have helped propel a two-week rally in stocks.

In midday trading, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 145 points at 7,805. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is up 14 at 820, while the Nasdaq composite index is up 26 at 1,542.

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While I am no big fan of the stock markets and believe that Wall street abandoned Main street a long time ago; that it hasn't reflected the state of the real economy for years if not decades now, I chose to post this.

Not however because of the news on the stock market rally but because of the increase in the sale of durable goods and the like.

If you really want to know how the economy look at what the average Joe is doing... if people are buying... then things are beginning to look better.

www.huffingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

That may or may not be a good thing. Once this economy gets back to full employment, there's a very good chance that we're going to find that all of the new money the government has poured into the system will result in significant inflation. So even if the economy is growing at a 2-3% rate, its a net negative if we're paying twice as much for everything. I think that's a real possibility 12-18 months from now.

I think that stagflation is far more of a threat... if that happens this really will become something that they will have no choice but to call a depression.

reply to post by grover


I don't entirely disagree with that. The only reason we're likely to see economic growth is because of the massive jumps in government spending. Of course, its not real growth, but the government doesn't care as long as the public buys it when they go to the polling booth.

reply to post by vor78


No its not real growth in the beginning... but as the money trickles through the economy it generates growth.

Really the only difference between this and trickle down economics is that it gives the money to the wealthy hoping it will trickle down to the average Joe while in this the government spends money and it actually trickles across the economy.

Ahh, Y'know there was another time both the market and the perception of the general economy, even the job market improved like this. The year was 1929. Can anyone guess what happened next?

Call me jaded, but Geithner's "zaney get rich quick schemes" are just like every other get rich quick scheme. A sham. A veil concealing what's really happening.

We're watching the Treasury and the Fed play catch. So we cheer. When summer gets here, we'll begin to wonder why neither of them are tossing us the ball. By the time fall get's here, everyone will realize they're playing catch with a hand grenade anyway.