home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- BUSINESS, Page 59Business NotesTHE ECONOMYNot So Blah After All?
-
-
- For most of the past year, the economy has appeared to be
- headed for stagnation, or worse. In July Federal Reserve Board
- Chairman Alan Greenspan said a potential recession had replaced
- inflation as the leading threat to the U.S. economy. But last
- week the dark clouds dissipated a bit when the Commerce
- Department reported that the gross national product increased
- at a healthy 2.7% annual rate during the April-June quarter, a
- full percentage point more than the Government had estimated a
- month ago.
-
- Most of the revision in growth came from
- higher-than-expected consumer spending. In a separate
- announcement, the Government said consumer spending rose a
- strong 0.7% during July, partly because auto shoppers have
- strongly responded to Detroit's recent round of car-sales
- incentives. Said Stan Shipley, senior economist at Shearson
- Lehman Hutton: "We're not on the precipice of a recession.
- Growth is more likely to be good, but not great."
-
-