Since Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election a year ago, some key indicators are better while others are worse. Americans’ confidence in the economy has improved, as has Trump’s favorable rating. At the same time, Americans’ satisfaction with the direction of the country has worsened — […] Read more »
Change versus more of the same: On-going panel of target voting groups provides path for Democrats in 2018
There are big forces at work in the coming year that could produce an earthquake of an off-year election, including a parade of indictments, the GOP civil war playing out in Republican primaries, a congressional impasse on everything, a wrong track number nearing 75 percent and a presidential job approval […] Read more »
Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Improved in October
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had improved marginally in September (an upward revision), increased again in October. The Index now stands at 125.9 (1985=100), up from 120.6 in September. … “Consumer confidence increased to its highest level in almost 17 years (Dec. 2000, 128.6) in October after remaining […] Read more »
Silver Lining in the GOP Gloom
The news seems unrelentingly bad for Republicans these days. … But in the spirit of a Wall Street friend who likes to ask me, “Charlie, if you are wrong, why are you wrong?,” it seems only fair to look around and ask, “Are there any factors that are actually favorable […] Read more »
Surge in consumer confidence
Consumer sentiment surged in October, reaching its highest level since the start of 2004, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. This was only the second time that the Sentiment Index was above 100.0 since the end of the record 1990s expansion. The October gain was due to […] Read more »
This is the new ‘giant sucking sound’ you hear. It’s changing the economy and disrupting politics
To understand two of the most volatile currents in modern politics, the best place to start is with a fundamental shift in the geography of economic opportunity. Reversing the pervasive urban decline of 20th century’s final decades, opportunity is once again flowing into the urban cores of the nation’s largest […] Read more »