With credit to NOYB for bringing this up in another thread, and with the understanding
it deserves a separate thread to counter the lib claims of record unemployment and a
worsening economy, here are some facts on the growing economy:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...-2003Aug7.html
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Productivity Soars, Jobless Claims Drop to Six-Month Low
By Jeannine Aversa
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, August 7, 2003; 2:40 PM
America's business productivity soared, new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to
a six-month low and retailers reported strong sales, a triple dose of good news as the
economy tries to get back to full throttle.
Productivity -- the amount that an employee produces per hour of work -- grew at an
annual rate of 5.7 percent in the April to June quarter, the best showing since the
third quarter of 2002, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That marked an
improvement from the 2.1 percent growth rate in productivity posted in the first three
months of this year.
In a second report from the department, new applications for jobless benefits fell by a
seasonally adjusted 3,000 to a six-month low of 390,000 for the work week ending Aug.
2. It marked the third week in a row that claims were below 400,000, a level associated
with a weak job market. This suggest the pace of layoffs is stabilizing. Claims hit a
high this year of 459,000 during the work week that ended April 19.
A third report showed the nation's largest retailers finally got a break in July as
warm weather and heavy discounting helped lift sales above expectations for many
merchants, even the struggling department store sector.
All industry segments appeared to benefit from an improved selling environment.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the industry leader, boosted its profit outlook for the second
quarter. J.C. Penney Co. Inc., Kohl's Corp. and Gap Inc. were among the retailers that
reported sales that beat analysts' forecasts.
On Wall Street, stocks moved higher. The Dow Jones industrials gained 43 points and the
Nasdaq was up 4 points in trading around midday.
With scattered signs of an economic revival, economists expect the Federal Reserve to
hold a key short-term interest rate at a 45-year low of 1 percent at its next meeting
on Aug. 12.
Some economists are predicting a growth rate in the second half in the range of 3.5
percent to 4 percent or more, as near rock-bottom short-term interest rates and a fresh
round of tax cuts take hold.
Both the productivity and jobless claims figures were better than economists were
expecting. They were forecasting productivity to grow at a 4 percent pace in the second
quarter and for jobless claims to rise.
For the economy's long-term health and rising living standards, solid productivity
gains are crucial. They allow the economy to grow faster without triggering inflation.
Companies can pay workers more without raising prices, which would eat up those wage
gains. And, productivity gains also can bolster a company's profitability.
Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress last month that it has been unusual for
companies to achieve healthy gains in productivity when the performance of the overall
economy has been so lackluster.
"To some extent, companies under pressure to cut costs in an environment of still-tepid
sales growth and an uncertain economic outlook might be expected to search aggressively
for ways to employ resources more efficiently," Greenspan said. "That they have
succeeded, in general, over a number of quarters suggests that a prior accumulation of
inefficiencies was available to be eliminated," he added.
One recent consequence of improving productivity, however, has been an ability of many
businesses to pare existing workforces and still meet increases in demand, Greenspan
said.
In the second quarter, businesses boosted output at a 3.4 percent rate, up from a 1.4
percent growth rate in the first quarter. But workers' hours were cut at a 2.2 percent
rate in the second quarter, following a 0.7 percent rate of decline in the prior three
months.
Still, people who kept their jobs made gains. Workers' real hourly compensation rose at
a 2.9 percent rate in the second quarter, the biggest increase since the third quarter
of 2000, and up from a 0.2 percent growth rate in the first quarter.
Companies' unit labor costs, meanwhile, fell at a rate of 2.1 percent in the second
quarter, boding well for profit margins. That compared with a 2 percent rate of
increase in the first quarter.
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Want more?
According to the latest report from the US Department of Commerce:
-The GDP increased in both the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2003
-Personal and disposable income increased in both the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2003
-Corporate profits increased in the 1st quarter of 2003 (2nd quarter report not yet
out)
http://www.bea.doc.gov/
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
Sorry libs, the sky certainly ain't a fallin'. In fact, just the opposite, except of
course for your aspirations of a presidential win in '04.