On the heels of weakening confidence from new home builders, comes the lack of confidence from small business owners. This is the fourth consecutive month that the outlook on business conditions fell and confidence is now at its lowest point since 2016.
According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the conservative-leaning small-business lobby said its optimism index fell to 104.4 in December from November’s 104.8 reading. Economists had expected a December reading of 103, according to a Wall Street Journal survey as reported by the outlet.
The NFIB survey is a monthly snapshot of small businesses in the U.S. and accounts for about half of all private-sector jobs. And this is not the only segment losing confidence in the economy.
https://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/housing-demand-stalls-homebuilder-confidence-plummets_11202018
A lack of confidence signals a sign of a weakening economy with growth concerns and a slowdown in the markets. The NFIB’s December survey results showed fewer respondents from a month earlier. But many thought now was a good time to expand their operations, as several of them cited economic conditions and the political climate.
“Over the past few months, owners’ expectations for the future have tempered, while reporting continued solid economic activity,” the NFIB said in its report, based on responses from 621 small-business owners. “The Index remains at historically high levels but can’t be expected to improve every month.”
Consumer confidence and spending rose, however, despite an economic slowdown. Another key indicator economists use to gauge domestic consumer spending is the University of Michigan’s index of consumer sentiment. That rose in December as confidence in job and wage prospects appeared to outweigh worries about financial markets. But likely, much of the spending was debt, as Americans have reached a historically high level of consumer debt.
https://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/the-1-2-trillion-college-debt-crisis-is-crippling-the-economy_01072019
If you’re an average American, you spend $1.26 for every $1.00 that you earn. For example, if your annual income is $50,000, you spend $63,000, a difference of $13,000. If your annual income is $75,000, you spend $94,500, a difference of $19,500. If your annual income is $125,000, you spend $157,500, a difference of $32,500. And so forth. –Tough Nickle
The debt bubble is likely the reason for continued increases in consumer spending, but it will also add unnecessary pain to those who continue to borrow when the “everything” bubble finally pops.
https://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/the-everything-bubble-why-the-coming-collapse-will-be-even-worse-than-the-last_05182017
It Took 22 Years to Get to This Point
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Obviously, again, Trump has to go, the sooner the better.
That’s the only way America can hope to survive.
No other conclusion can be drawn based on the reporting here.
Patti Smith performs Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” – Nobel Prize Award Ceremony 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=941PHEJHCwU
Is that a man or a woman. One things for certain, it sure is fugly.
She always was.
When the economy/dollar are strong gold/silver is weakened. Conversely when the economy/dollar are weak gold/silver is strong. Witty commentary. Thank you for clicking my name.
It’s creepy realizing we’ve been double teamed by the two corrupt money parties pretending they oppose each others policies when in fact they line up single file to oppress and fleece the public as a matter of policy.
Since real wages have been cut in half due to inflation, then what a FARCE Feminism has come to be. The whole point was empowerment through economic means so that women had income and could buy property as historically wives yielded their property to their husbands according to Feminist theory of patriarches.
But what actually happened was all that income was lost due to inflation! It’s not two incomes anymore but two halves of one income since inflation has made everything twice as expensive while wages stagnated.
Feminsim actually resulted in a quasiserfdom.
Think I’m wrong? Do the math. Go to an inflation calculator.
If people have half as much income, they buy less things. This is not rocket science. It affects the entire economy.
It did consolidate wealthin the 0.01% though. A grotesque phenomena that created Soros and Bezos and the general silliness of Facebook and Microsoft billionaries that actually are ridiculously false in the final analysis.