What do you think the leading economic indicators point to in 2017?

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   jackclee lmposted 7 years ago

   The indicators include the stock market which has hit a new high of 21000 on the DOW...
   
   the consumer confindence level at 96. a high in last 10 years.

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   1. 77

      jackclee lmposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      

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   2. 80

      colorfuloneposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Porto Rico filed bankruptcy saying "unable to provide its citizens effective services".  It is US jurisdiction and has been called the 51st State.  $74 billion that they have stopped making payments on, and on top of that $49 billion in pension liabilities.   
      
      I'm wondering what's with that. I'm guessing a lot of people aren't going to get paid back their funds. People can't come after those hedge funds like they do a business.
      
      Is this the canary in the bond coal mine? 
      The bond market is trouble in a bubble.
      We can't print that much money to bail them out.

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2. 76

   wildernessposted 7 years ago

   Cautiously optimistic.  I think we'll see more job creation and likely better wages, at least at the lower tiers.  Stock Market looks good.

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      promisemposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, amazing. The stock market dropped all the way down to -5000 from 2008 until Jan. 20 of this year. Then in one day it shot all the way up to 21000.
      
      The unemployment rate went from 800% down to 4% on the exact same day.
      
      Conservatives suddenly proclaim it's entirely because of our new president. The last eight years had nothing to do with it.
      
      LOL.

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      1. 77

         jackclee lmposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         You can laugh all you want but those millennials that are stuck with poor job prospects are starting to look up again. The economic engine that was stuck in low gear is starting to move.
         The ACA which is the main cause of the slowdown is on the path of being appealed...
         And America is respected and feared again. Win win.

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            promisemposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Are you saying that job prospects only now are starting to look up again? They weren't looking up prior to Jan. 20?

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            1. 77

               jackclee lmposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               I am saying the rate of jobs and quality of jobs have changed for the better. Under Obama, and the ACA mandates, businesses were not hiring and was converting full time jobs to part time jobs in some service industries... This is not rocket science. Just go ask these small business owners why they are doing what they do? They react to government regulations just as individuals react to tax policies...
               With a changed administration, the policies, and proposed changes both tax and regulations will be more hospitable to businesses. These changes over time translate into more jobs, higher pay, more full time jobs and higher consumer confidence.
               Yes, they were on the rise even under Obama but at a much slower rate. The recovery of the recession of 2008-2009 was the slowest since WWII. Some may be attributed to a changing technology and some were in direct response to Obama's policies. His anti business, anti coal, anti energy were the cause of coal plants going chapter 11.
               The ACA, with the 50 employees limit, caused small businesses to cut back hiring and converting some employees from full time to part time work. These are all well documented and easily verified if you would only ask the right questions.
               The ACA had some good aspects but overall, it was unsustainable when 80% of newly covered was subsidized by the government... and expansion to medicaid.
               Again this is not rocket science. When you ask insurance companies to take on 20 million new cases and not have some way to pay for it, you get the results we see. The ACA was phased in over 7 years for a good reason. It would not be fully implemented until after Obama left office. That is why it is failing now. Many health exchanges have gone bust.
               If you want to stop this demonization and solve the problem, you need to study the issues more closely and make better arguments. Acusing Conservatives as cold hearted for opposing the ACA  is not the
               solution.

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         wildernessposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Idiots say it's something Trump did.  Just as idiots say Obama is responsible for it all.

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            jackclee lmposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Of course it is not all due to one president or another. The policies do make the direction go one way or another. Obama started by stimulating us out of the recession but then continued with regulations and taxes and deficit spending and ACA which created a low growth economy...
            
            If you don't see that, than you are deceiving yourself...

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            1. 76

               wildernessposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               Sorry, but Obama can't pass regulations, taxes or deficit spending.  He WAS the responsible person for the ACA, though, even though congress had to pass the law.  But he can't "stimulate" us out of a recession by spending money that congress didn't approve, either - they have the purse strings, not the President.

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               1. 77

                  jackclee lmposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  So by that logic, we don't need a president.
                  He does nothing and play golf all day.
                  Everything will be fine...
                  You can't have it both ways.
                  
                  All I know is, under Carter, we had a disaster and with Reagan, America was that shining hill.
                  Not all presidents matter, but some presidents do.

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                     wildernessposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     No, by that logic we blame ALL the legislators that voted for those things.  From the freshman in the house right up to the President that signed the bills into law.
                     
                     Certainly Presidents matter - I mentioned that Obama was instrumental in getting the ACA passed and it wouldn't have happened without him.

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                  promisemposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Yet his administration spent the money anyway. The economy bounced back from the Bush disaster by using classic economic stimulation from both the administration and the Fed.

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               promisemposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               I didn't see you making such comments three or more months ago. Are you now admitting that Obama may have done something right?

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            promisemposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Which idiots do you mean? I have never seen anyone make such a claim.

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