Your opinion on the near future of the U.S. economy

[CoffeeCat]

The MSM is reporting about "glimmers" and "green shoots"--select statistics that they are touting
as signs of economic improvement. Bernanke declared that the economy would see growth later in 2009.

Yet, we have high unemployment, falling wages and tent cities sprouting up--but the stock market is up a great deal.

Tell us how you view the near future of the economy (through 2009)---AND HOW YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE ECONOMY. Do you base your opinion on
statistics (housing starts, unemployment, GDP,) or ON the opinion of economists and analysts that you respect (Krugman, Roubini,
Warren Buffet, Jim Cramer, etc)?

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. The REAL economy is a long way from being fixed.

The problem is, when the corporate whore media mentions "economy" they mean "how the Wall Street criminals are doing". And if the Wall Street criminals start making money again (rather than stealing it directly from the taxpayers) the media whores will jump up and down claiming "problem solved. recession over."

[TahitiNut]

2. I have yet to see ANY repairs or corrections to the system itself.

Until the structural and regulatory flaws are repaired, I'm without any expectation that 'improvements' in the function are forthcoming.

[Sebastian Doyle]

3. Exactly

Which is why I say they need to roll everything back to where it was before Reagan took office. All of his deregulations, along with Poppy's, Chimpy's, and yes, Clinton's, as much as that reality seems to disturb a certain group here who go by the initials D, L, and C.

[CoffeeCat]

5. That's a really good point...

The movement of the DOW is positioned as a very important bellwether.

However, it's only speculation--and a measure of speculation by those still remaining in the market.

It seems like there's a good deal of PR and marketing pressure, being put on those would-be investors--trying
to goad them into putting their money in the market. Statistics are cherry picked. Bad news is positioned
as good news and there's a silver lining on every cloud.

However, as you said the economy isn't just Wall Street and how the DOW did that day.

What about unemployment, wages, jobs lost to outsourcing? That's the real economy that most of us
live and breath in.

[Cruzan]

4. Bear market rally on the stock market

Time it right (some serious groking of support and resistance) and then short the fuck out of it.

[StrongBad]

7. It's coming by the end of the month.

At least that's one trader's opinion :)

[Royal Sloan 09]

6. JOBS

with decent wages and single payer health care.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. That cat that's bouncing down Wall Street is very dead and getting deader.

Now that the financial geniuses have turned on the printing presses to "reinflate" the economy it's just a matter of time until that bubble bursts with a very loud boom of inflation.

The Wizards of Wall Street are betting that the American people are stupid enough to borrow money and spend it during a prolonged recession and happily keep pouring money into banks who won't lend it to them anyway.

[lovuian]

9. you have to be kidding right We are in a Depression

we have lost our banks cars finance stockmarket savings and healthcare is crapp

tell me again how is the economy looking???

[Mike 03]

10. 2010 looks better; having said that, I voted for the fourth option.

But the paradox is, as Bernanke, Geithner and Paulson have said all along, we have to pretend we are optimistic for the plan to work in the first place.

[bbgrunt]

11. the economy is lookin up for the short term, but any

improvement in the DOW will be temporary and will further benefit only the elites. With solid middle class jobs being insourced and outsourced and unions being brought to their knees, the longer term prognosis is, well, pretty sour.

[galileoreloaded]

12. I will change my vote if someone can give me the economic engine..

that will drive growth. And don't give me "green energy" or "infrastructure". I am in both fields, on the periphery, and the so called green revolution is mired in design/I.P. issues with most money going to research impacting a precious few, and Infrastructure funds are over weighted very heavily in materials prices. Very little human resource impact.

No, despite valiant efforts, I fear jobs wont return until we reach (shudder) wage parity with the rest of the world. Not pretty, but pragmatism rarely is.