Intermarkets' Privacy Policy
Support


Donate to Ace of Spades HQ!


Contact
Ace:
aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
Buck:
buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
CBD:
cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com
joe mannix:
mannix2024 at proton.me
MisHum:
petmorons at gee mail.com
J.J. Sefton:
sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com


Recent Entries
Absent Friends
Bandersnatch 2024
GnuBreed 2024
Captain Hate 2023
moon_over_vermont 2023
westminsterdogshow 2023
Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022
Dave In Texas 2022
Jesse in D.C. 2022
OregonMuse 2022
redc1c4 2021
Tami 2021
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published. Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me
Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups






















« Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) Tells Howard Dean To "Shut Up" | Main | WaPo: Iraqis Embrace Democracy »
December 09, 2005

Can't Fight The Cowbell: Consumer Confidence, Optimism For Future Rises

Although I'm pretty sure the media wants to keep the Dick-Cheney-esque economy a secret, there's only so much they can do. Stories have momentum, and at some point that momentum may become irresistable -- sparking a rash of "economic boom" stories which furthers the momentum (and also further increases public confidence and optimism).

Even the French polling firm IPSOS reports growing confidence.

The RBC CASH Index, based on polling by Ipsos, showed that consumer confidence clocked in at 85.5 in December, the second-highest reading of this year.

The pickup builds upon the rebound in consumer confidence staged in November, when the index jumped to 81. That revival came after confidence had been stuck in the doldrums in September and October, reflecting worries about sky-high energy prices and other fallout from the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Economists attributed the December improvement to a retreat in gasoline prices, a ramp up in hiring and solid growth being logged by the overall economy.

...

At present "consumers are cautiously optimistic," said Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Bank of America's Investment Strategies Group.

...

The biggest over-the-month improvement came from a measure looking at consumers' economic expectations over the next six months, including conditions where they live or work and their own financial positions.

That expectations measure rose to 53.9 in December, up from 44.5 in November.

So much of the economy is dependent on psychology. You don't hire new workers, or invest capital, or even spend a lot at Christmas if you imagine there's a recession on the horizon. It's pretty impressive that hiring and growth and spending are as high as they are given that 43% of all Americans think we're in a recession.

What happens when they stop thinking that?

This isn't entirely a media conspiracy (although they're doing their darnedest to conspire away). Objective economic guages were fairly strong (or at least decent, and suggesting reason for hopefulness) at the end of Bush I's term and into the first 18 months of Clinton's first term, and yet I remember the MSM, and the public generally, being pretty dour as regards the economy. Eventually, of course, it began to register we were in a period of strong growth, and then the economy exploded.

Public perceptions are the third-most lagging indicator of an economy's strength. Media perceptions are the second-most lagging indicator, and media perceptions during a Republican administration are the most lagging indicator of all.


digg this
posted by Ace at 11:49 AM

| Access Comments




Recent Comments
SFGoth: "Generation lead? As in lead, follow, or get out t ..."

Pixy Misa: "That done, hi Skip! ..."

cam to cam free: "Oh, of program, you can just read the testimonials ..."

Pixy Misa: "Ah, got it. The HTML for that long item broke the ..."

Pixy Misa: "Hang on a tick, blog has gone wonky. ..."

Skip : "If you're hanging around, head upstairs TECH TH ..."

Skip : "G'Day everyone ..."

best video sex: "Really, I believe this is Wonderful and I hope you ..."

sarah hyland sex tape: "And yet, there are such a lot of questions you'll ..."

watch free xxx movie: "On April 29, 2022, Ulrich Møller-Jørgens ..."

https://www.bestfreeliveporn.com/movies/126.html: "In actuality the mind is a tangled mess of agents ..."

Skip : "They don't let you sleep much here ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64