Economy:Signs on the Ground

Anybody seen encouraging signs?. I am not referring to CNN/Fox kind of signs, but actual signs on the ground that we are living in slightly better times compared to, say one year back.

Only positive responses please.

Curious
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

My 401k gained 28% this past year....

apw
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

If you want only positive responses then, sure, the new year will be great.

Guillermo
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Oh yes, much better.  Last year, tons of children died of malnutrition and disease in Africa.  This year I've had steak every night of the week!

Selective Sampler
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

21 billion new Mc Jobs have been added. Isn't that groovy?

God I love it when recession is over!

Cosmo Cramer
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

I was telling everybody that things had finally turned around, then this morning the paper has 4 stories in the biz section about companies laying people off.

I read yesterday that we are in the 25 month of the recovery for an 8 month recession.

:(

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

When you're in the auto parts business, cold weather and a poor economy mean people buy lots of parts. This has been one of our best years ever!

Hopefully it will stay cold, even if the economy picks up.

Bob
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

I started my business in April 2001 and this is the best I've seen it since late 1999. 

We hired two people last year and are going to hire three more by June, (crosses fingers).

We're in Metro Detroit, so YMMV, (pun intended) 

Mesa Canyon
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

(a) IRA, 401K, and other investments: Aggregate: Up 38% for the year 2003. Still doesn't make up for the 2000/2001/2002 losses, but it's well on it's way at this point.

(b) Personally, we're up to our 1999/2000 levels (TopOfTheBubble) in terms of revenue.

(c) More new contracts/projects in 3Q and 4Q of 2003 than the previous 6 quarters (all of 2002 and the first half of 2003).

(d) More new InThePipeLine work - bids/contracts that we're working on, but haven't yet won -- call this "potential" work -- anyway, more InThePipeLine than we've ever had. We're going into our 7th year.

From my perspective, the economy is buzzing along at a blistering pace.

Sgt. Sausage
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

I was out of work for 18 months before finding employment this year.  Not sure if that is more a commentary about the economy or me tho.

Alyosha`
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Almost ditto. I was out of work for 15 months. I got a job a few months ago.

Savage Planet
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

>>>My 401k gained 28% this past year....

My long euro / short us dollar investment gained 28% this past year.

Tom Vu
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

I was able to get a job recently at a company that bought out it's biggest competitor (which was bigger than the company doing the buying). Even considering the merger, the company was profitable that year. They did US $12million worth of business in the last 12 months and in a 10 day span in dec signed US $4mill for the first part of '04 (in addition to any already arranged and those yet to come). Word from the CEO is that they plan to continue hiring in this year and hope to keep on track for a 10year plan of expansion which is, by most employee's estimation), aggressive/optimistic. All these things combine to make me hopeful for '04, economically.

Also, the last company I worked for was hoping to go from around 60 interns at one office to between 300 and 600 (signing a big contract soon).

Just feels to me like things are up. (BTW, I have friends graduating from college who all either have offers or have extensive numbers of interviews (in engineering, various fields)).

Tim
Tuesday, January 13, 2004

I'd say IT employment prospects in the UK are improving markedly. I've had three phone calls within a week from agencies without me even looking for a job. This is about the same as I got for the whole of last year !

I am hoping that 2004 is the turning point as 1994 seemed to be. I am waiting for April when employment opportunities always seem to increase due to the new budgets being made available.

whattimeisiteccles
Wednesday, January 14, 2004

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