Steven Wood Economic Quotations

Momentum in the leading indicators has slowed over the past year, suggesting an impending slowdown in economic growth.

The pace of layoffs is rising again, while new hiring has stopped. These trends will likely be extended because of the economic dislocations associated with this week's tragic events.

The pace of layoffs is rising again, while new hiring has stopped, ... These trends will likely be extended because of the economic dislocations associated with this week's tragic events.

Labor markets are deteriorating rapidly. Layoffs remain at a fast pace, while hiring has all but stopped. As economic activity continues to unravel, there are few prospects for a near-term turnaround. The national unemployment rate, now at 4.9 percent, should breach 6 percent before the economy begins to recover.

Weakness in the composite index suggests that economic growth will slow over the next three to six months.

We still expect economic activity to slow over the next several quarters as consumer spending slows further and housing declines more because of higher interest rates and energy costs. The absence of inflation will be welcomed at the Federal Reserve.

This will help boost overall economic growth to above 4 percent; our current (third-quarter) estimate is 4.5.

With still strong domestic demand and improving international demand, the factory sector is continuing to recover from the sluggishness that resulted from the Asian economic crisis.

While these data will be welcome by the (Fed), two key questions remain. Will the second quarter spending slow down extend through the rest of the year? Economic fundamentals suggest they will. And will the spending slowdown be sufficient to relieve pressure on labor markets and inflation? At this point, that is still an open question.

While these data will be welcome by the (Fed), two key questions remain, ... Will the second quarter spending slow down extend through the rest of the year? Economic fundamentals suggest they will. And will the spending slowdown be sufficient to relieve pressure on labor markets and inflation? At this point, that is still an open question.

The recent pace of growth in the leaders suggests that economic growth should slow from its 3.6 percent over the four quarters through the third quarter of 2005.

The recent movements in the index suggest only moderate economic growth over the next 6 to 9 months.

The sharp slowing in domestic demand has dramatically reduced imports. Weakening economic activity in our major trading partners has significantly reduced the foreign demand for American-made products.

These data suggest that a bottoming in economic activity is taking place, but that a bit more inventory adjustment is needed to insure a re-acceleration in growth.

These data suggest that a bottoming in economic activity is taking place, but a bit more inventory adjustment is needed to insure a re-acceleration in growth,

These data are consistent with still-strong domestic and improving international economic activity.

These data are consistent with slower but still solid economic activity.

These data are consistent with slightly better pricing power for both importers and exporters, which reflects the improvement in international economic activity. However, the gains are sufficiently restrained as to not cause any concerns about broader based measures of inflation.

These data add to the growing evidence that economic activity has slowed and that any re-acceleration is likely to be short-lived.

The slowdown in manufacturing activity will be welcomed at the Federal Reserve, where any sign of economic slowing will be cheered.

Despite some better-than-expected data over the past two weeks, this report is sufficiently gloomy to force the Fed to ease next Tuesday and retain their bias toward further economic weakness.

Bad economic times don't last forever and the U.S. economy is very vibrant. But at this point that is just pure forecast.

Although the level of sales is still relatively high, the solid growth of the past three years has been arrested, helping the Fed's efforts to slow the pace of economic growth. However, mortgage rates have declined over the last six weeks, so further substantial weakness may not be forthcoming.

Although housing should slow modestly over the balance of the year, it is unlikely to generate the major weakness typically associated with housing during an economic downturn.

Economic activity flattened out at the end of the summer, suggesting that the nascent recovery may have already been aborted.

Sharp production cuts will continue to bring down inventories, which will set the stage for the economic recovery when spending revives.

The Fed will welcome this report as it suggests that slower economic growth will be extended into the third quarter. The probability of an August rate increase continues to diminish and is now below 50 percent.

The (Fed) will continue to focus policy on reviving economic growth.

The (Fed policy makers) will welcome this data as providing further confirmation that the slowing of economic growth in Q2 (the second quarter) has been extended into Q3,

Inflation is sufficiently low and tame -- and the economic outlook is sufficiently uncertain -- to be of little concern to the Fed at present.

Inventories are going to be largely neutral for economic growth in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, as businesses ramp up production to rebuild inventories, that will mean more hiring, more production and a stronger economic environment.

Higher claims suggest slower job gains, which should dampen income growth, consumer spending, and overall economic activity.

Housing activity, which has contributed significantly to economic growth over the past 2-1/2 years, has now passed its peak and will be largely neutral to negative over the next several quarters, ... This slowdown will be welcomed at the Federal Reserve.

Households' economic attitudes have declined modestly over the last six months, ... But the level suggests consumers remain very optimistic about their personal financial condition.

Households are maintaining relatively optimistic assessments of economic conditions, largely in defiance of actual events.

Housing-related activity has definitely slowed and its contributions to economic growth, both direct and indirect, will fade over the next couple of quarters.

The initial wave of layoffs in those industries most directly affected by the terrorist attacks has passed. However, there is another wave rolling to shore. This second wave will be from the subsequent economic dislocations caused by the Sept. 11 events and be much more diffused through the economy.

The general slowing in the growth of the leading indicators over the past year suggests the pace of economic growth should gradually slow over the next three to six to nine months.

The gentle slowing trend that had been in place for much of 2005 appears to have been halted and partially reversed. However, like many other economic relationships, the one between the index of leading indicators and subsequent economic growth has loosened significantly in recent years.

The Committee is placing more weight on current data releases and, therefore, less weight on forecasts of economic activity and inflation. What I'm foreseeing is that the Fed is going to keep on tightening due to the economy being stronger in the first half of the year.

The deterioration in economic activity would argue for a more aggressive move, but the Fed has rarely moved by more than (half a point) during Greenspan's tenure,

The level of economic optimism is still quite high, especially given the continued sluggishness in the economy, rising joblessness, corporate profits warnings and equity market volatility,