With Spring & Summer coming...will things get better?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Many people are warning about inflationary pressures and a return to the late 1970's, but the majority opinion is that deflation is not a concern anymore and we'll see things become less bad and then a plateau followed by slow growth. Collapse has not been mentioned.

Watch for a rapid rise in oil prices if any growth starts up again in China, India, or the US. Oil has already gone back up to the 50-55$ range, and the speculators are coming back for another ROUND AGAIN. We can't seem to find a good medium between deflationary and inflationary concerns without even taking into account employment. This is why I strongly support Obama on his energy plans. The key is to diversify our energy portfolio as much as possible to stop oil prices from throwing a constant monkey wrench into everything in our economy. The stimulus money will make a dent in renewable energy but not enough. What we need is to lower capital gains and income tax to stimulate entrepreneurs to put more $$$ in venture capital for green job startups. Renewable jobs are going to the Plains and Midwest. You have cellulosic ethanol, wind, solar, and biodiesel developments there. With greater federal dollars for infrastructure coming expect that area to do very well in the coming years while some coastal areas begin to stagnate

[GraniteStater]

Oil prices reach new high for 2009 as dollar falls

[wanneroo]

I work in a niche sector of the automotive/motorsports business. Essentially there are some contracting companies and everyone that works in the business is an independent contractor.

Almost no one has worked since October. If they did it was for a few days. I could see what was coming and took my skills and got well paid part time work in another business. So I am surviving. Everyone else is reaching the end of their bank accounts or are past that point and it is getting desperate now. And usually now in a normal year business would be rocking(winter is slow time) but alas almost nothing and no sign of anything coming either. The contracting companies are banging on doors to get deals done and no one is buying.

People will have to leave the business and these contracting companies some will probably not survive. So initially I thought once spring came at least some business would come back and it has not. My only hope would be for the panic to stop and maybe in the 2nd half of the year some business would come back.

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

This is why I strongly support Obama on his energy plans. The key is to diversify our energy portfolio as much as possible to stop oil prices from throwing a constant monkey wrench into everything in our economy. The stimulus money will make a dent in renewable energy but not enough. What we need is to lower capital gains and income tax to stimulate entrepreneurs to put more $$$ in venture capital for green job startups. Renewable jobs are going to the Plains and Midwest. You have cellulosic ethanol, wind, solar, and biodiesel developments there. With greater federal dollars for infrastructure coming expect that area to do very well in the coming years while some coastal areas begin to stagnate

Yes I support Obama's idea of renewable energy as a resource as well, but not his method of encouraging it. Like you said - use capital gains and income tax laws to stimulate and encourage it. His idea seems to be - just shovel out the money and maybe, just maybe, they will do something with it. I like to reward results, not proposals or ideas. No welfare to scientists.
Renewabable energy CAN be the industry of tommorrow, if it's encouraged properly.

[Dd714]

A warning to all on the "things are getting better". I stick with my original post here that a definite recovery will start in early or mid 2010 (probably at a slow place due to inflationary concerns).

But one important point - with all recoveries the LAST thing to come back is jobs. That's just the way it works, companies will wait and wait until they have to increase there manpower. If you are unemployed now or just entering the work force, don't expect things to improve until six months to a year after a full recovery. Then companies will start hiring like crazy.