The U.S. Gallup Economic Confidence Index surged to -18 for the week ending Sept. 9, up 11 points from -29 the prior week. This puts the index near the high point for the year after 2 ½ months when, weighed down by continued high unemployment, the index had languished well […] Read more »
Many Key Indicators Better Than When Obama Took Office
Many key economic and mood indicators are more positive now than in February 2009 when President Barack Obama first took office. However, there have been significant ups and downs during his 44 months as president. [cont.] Frank Newport, Gallup Read more »
This Year, a Weak Economy Is a Relative Term
… Has the economy lost some of its ability to influence politics? Not at all, says Ray C. Fair, the Yale economics professor who uses economic data to predict presidential elections. As the final stretch of the campaign begins, Professor Fair’s equations suggest that the economy is a liability for […] Read more »
Consumer Spending Climbs Close to a Four-Year High
Americans’ self-reported daily spending averaged $77 in August, up from $73 in July, and the best August spending level recorded since 2008. It is also the highest average monthly spending since December 2008. [cont.] Elizabeth Mendes, Gallup Read more »
Obama’s challenge: Win over economic doubters
Obama takes the podium Thursday night with a massive challenge: Convince voters who think he has mismanaged the economy – the nation’s No. 1 issue – to support him in November. … Among those who disapprove of Obama’s handling of the economy now, an August Washington Post-ABC News poll found […] Read more »
Election Forecast Models Clouded By Economy’s Slow Growth
… Sophisticated models in the past have bolstered arguments that presidential elections are mostly predetermined by the economy. This time, some concede that the plodding recovery may not tilt the balance toward either candidate. Instead, the costly, cross-country political campaign, which these forecasters have dismissed as irrelevant, may tip the […] Read more »