8 signs of hope for the economy
โพสต์แล้ว: เสาร์ พ.ค. 30, 2009 11:44 am
คัดและรวบรวม มาให้อ่าน จาก CNN Money ครับ
Green shoots
Is the economy looking up,
or at least bottoming out?
Lately there has been much talk
about "glimmers of hope," in President Obama's words,
and "green shoots," a phrase du jour used by the likes of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Meanwhile, many economists have warned
about a false spring, pointing to numbers
that are still getting worse,
like the unemployment rate.
Fortune takes a closer look at the upbeat news
to assess whether how strong a case they
make for an imminent recovery.
By Beth Kowitt, reporter
1. Housing starts
The government reported that
the overall number of housing starts fell in March,
but those for single-family homes during the month
came in unchanged from the February figure of 358,000.
IHS Global Insight noted that
this suggests single-family home construction
may be stabilizing and is "testing the bottom."
2.The stock market
The S&P 500 was up 9.4% in April,
its biggest monthly rally since March 2000.
The Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index
ended the month at 8,962.96, up 849.85, or 10.48%.
This is the best monthly return since December 1991,
when the index was up 10.72%.
"The initiatives of the federal government
and some of the improvements in the credit
markets are making investors more confident,"
said Thomas Cowhey, chief investment strategist
at Hirtle Callaghan.
3.Consumer confidence
Preliminary figures for the Conference Board's Consumer
Confidence Index showed a jump of more than 12 points
during April, to 39.2. The reading, which measures
consumer views on the economy, beat analyst
expectations and was the highest so far in 2009.
Lynn Franco, director of the organization's research center,
attributed the rise in confidence to "significant
improvement in the short-term outlook.
4.Single-family home prices
The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices showed that
while 20-city and 10-city Composite Home Price figures
declined through February 2009 (down 18.6% and 18.8%,
respectively, from a year ago), for the first time in 16
months the annual decline did not set a new record.
While it signals that the market may be showing some
stabilization, or at least what Chairman of the Index
Committee David Blitzer called "deceleration in the rate of
decline," Blitzer warned that we "need a few more months
of data before we can determine if home prices are finally
turning around."
Meanwhile, the Pending Home Sales Index rose for the
second straight month in March and was up more than 1%
over the year-ago figure. The index from the National
Association of Realtors (NAR) increased 3.2% during the
month, to 84.6%.
Green shoots
Is the economy looking up,
or at least bottoming out?
Lately there has been much talk
about "glimmers of hope," in President Obama's words,
and "green shoots," a phrase du jour used by the likes of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Meanwhile, many economists have warned
about a false spring, pointing to numbers
that are still getting worse,
like the unemployment rate.
Fortune takes a closer look at the upbeat news
to assess whether how strong a case they
make for an imminent recovery.
By Beth Kowitt, reporter
1. Housing starts
The government reported that
the overall number of housing starts fell in March,
but those for single-family homes during the month
came in unchanged from the February figure of 358,000.
IHS Global Insight noted that
this suggests single-family home construction
may be stabilizing and is "testing the bottom."
2.The stock market
The S&P 500 was up 9.4% in April,
its biggest monthly rally since March 2000.
The Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index
ended the month at 8,962.96, up 849.85, or 10.48%.
This is the best monthly return since December 1991,
when the index was up 10.72%.
"The initiatives of the federal government
and some of the improvements in the credit
markets are making investors more confident,"
said Thomas Cowhey, chief investment strategist
at Hirtle Callaghan.
3.Consumer confidence
Preliminary figures for the Conference Board's Consumer
Confidence Index showed a jump of more than 12 points
during April, to 39.2. The reading, which measures
consumer views on the economy, beat analyst
expectations and was the highest so far in 2009.
Lynn Franco, director of the organization's research center,
attributed the rise in confidence to "significant
improvement in the short-term outlook.
4.Single-family home prices
The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices showed that
while 20-city and 10-city Composite Home Price figures
declined through February 2009 (down 18.6% and 18.8%,
respectively, from a year ago), for the first time in 16
months the annual decline did not set a new record.
While it signals that the market may be showing some
stabilization, or at least what Chairman of the Index
Committee David Blitzer called "deceleration in the rate of
decline," Blitzer warned that we "need a few more months
of data before we can determine if home prices are finally
turning around."
Meanwhile, the Pending Home Sales Index rose for the
second straight month in March and was up more than 1%
over the year-ago figure. The index from the National
Association of Realtors (NAR) increased 3.2% during the
month, to 84.6%.