19 Quotes by Paul Ashworth

This will no doubt give protectionists in Congress some ammunition as the mid term elections approach.

Since the order books at Boeing are bulging at the moment, with many of those orders coming from abroad, aircraft exports could continue to be a big positive for the trade deficit for some time to come.

He has been careful to address all possible concerns about his leadership in Congress, in financial markets and among his Fed colleagues.

It is not clear exactly why confidence is falling but it may have been dented by concerns over the cooling housing market. The contrast between the buoyancy of current economic conditions and caution over the future is now the sharpest since 9/11.

Such a rapid escalation in prices is sure to hit confidence and real spending hard.

While the drop in gasoline prices makes these sales figures look bad, it is of course good news for spending in real terms, which is what really counts.

Today's inflation figures will reinforce the belief that the Fed only has one or two more interest-rate hikes up its sleeve before it rests. The lack of any significant upward pressure on inflation should help persuade the Fed to raise rates no higher than 5 percent.

We previously feared growth could dip below 2 percent.

The wider impact of Hurricane Katrina on the national economy is now becoming evident and none of it is pretty.