On Wed, 2 Nov rbowman wrote:
>On 11/02/2016 08:15 PM, Governor Swill wrote:
>> Economically, the news has been just plain good. I honestly don't
>> believe all the doomsayers complaining about how bad it all is and I
>> sure don't believe those who think trade is bad. They have no idea
>> what's going on.
>
>Check the stock market today?
Yes, it's at 17,970.02. Know what it was on Jan 20, 2009? 7,949.09.
>Or the auto sales figures?
"U.S. Car Sales Set Record in 2015
Auto makers top 15-year-old peak as cheap gas, stronger economy lift
demand"
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-car-sales-poised-for-their-best-month-ever-1451999939
Light truck sales, which includes SUVs, are steadily climbing month to
month. This is driving overall vehicle sales up through 2016.
http://online.wsj.com/media/48KIKPMP.gif
> Computer sales?
Users are moving to tablets and especially, smartphones. Even so. . .
"PC Sales Are Up in the US! But Don’t Expect a Great Comeback"
DON’T LOOK NOW, but PC shipments are actually up in the US, at least
by a little bit.
Researchers at Gartner, which includes tablets such as Microsoft’s
Surface in its report, tracked a 1.4 percent increase, this most
recent quarter compared to the same time a year ago. IDC, which does
not include such tablets, reported a 4.9 percent bump in a report
released this week. [which might indicate a slowdown in tablet sales
to the benefit of pcs - good news for Mac and MS]
https://www.wired.com/2016/07/pc-sales-us-dont-expect-great-comeback/
>Even Windows 10 is losing market share now that people aren't having it
>shoved down their throats and have to pay for it.
More good news for consumers because it means MS' monopoly on home
computing is broken. MS now faces competition from smartphone and
tablet makers who offer other operating systems. Consumers have more
options at lower costs.
>Even apartment owners are dropping rents. They've exceeded the point
>that potential renters can or will pay.
Supply and demand. This is excellent news for consumers who're seeing
lower rents driving a lower cost of living.
>Baltic Dry Index?
Scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to find some bad news, aren't
you? That's a London exchange for international oceanic shippers.
What does that have to do with the health of the US economy? What
does it have to do with the POTUS? And if Trump has it's way,
international trade is going to drop sharply over the next years. Not
good news for the Baltic Dry Index.
"The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is an economic indicator issued daily by
the London-based Baltic Exchange. Not restricted to Baltic Sea
countries, the index provides "an assessment" of the price of moving
the major raw materials by sea.[1] Taking in 23 shipping routes
measured on a timecharter basis, the index covers Handysize, Supramax,
Panamax, and Capesize dry bulk carriers carrying a range of
commodities including coal, iron ore and grain."[2]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Dry_Index
Here's the graph:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Dry_Index#/media/File:BDI.png
You know what that means? It means it's cheaper to ship goods by sea
than it used to be. It means that shipping prices are what they were
in the late nineties and early 2000s. Good news not only for
consumers, but for business as well.
> Health of the US trucking industry?
"Chronic Poor Health is Chasing Drivers From Trucking Industry"
"A survey by employee background-check firm HireRight found that truck
drivers in the U.S. are quitting because of health-related factors.
It’s one of the top reasons — along with low pay and the desire to
spend more time at home — for leaving the industry."
https://www.trucks.com/2016/06/06/trucking-industry-hurting-chronic-poor-health-truckers/
Or maybe you meant this:
"Industry Overview: Trucking"
"The Trucking Industry is a cyclical sector comprised of companies
that provide shipping services, using tractor-trailers, to customers,
which are usually commercial businesses."
http://www.valueline.com/Stocks/Industries/Industry_Overview__Trucking.aspx#.WBt92NUrJyw
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Fell 5.8% in September
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Jumped 5.7% in August
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Fell 2.1% in July
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Fell 1.5% in June
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Increased 2.7% in May
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Fell 2.1% in April
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Fell 4.5% in March
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Jumps 7.2% in February
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Slides 1.4% in January
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Increased 1% in December
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Decreased 0.9% in November
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Jumped 1.9% in October
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Rose 0.7% in September
Yep. Looks cyclical to me. Think it'll go up for October '16? 2nd
quarter GDP was up 1.4% and Q3 was up 2.9%. Christmas shopping season
is coming so shipping will have a likely have a "cyclical" upturn
before the end of the year.
I'll leave you with this report:
"Trucking Revenues Top $700 Billion for the First Time According to
New Report"
http://tinyurl.com/jqoxx3j
>Keep whistling.
0 for 7, Bowman. Wanna try again?