Is consumer confidence flat, or rising?
Two polls tell two stories. The Conference Board’s March Consumer Confidence Index hit 52.5, up from 46.4 in February. In contrast, the March Reuters survey remained at 73.6, unchanged from February. Factory orders up 0.6%. The February number represented the tenth gain in the last 11 months. Excluding the defense category, the gain was 1.0%. Home prices inch higher. The January S&P/Case-Shiller home price index (of 20 major real estate markets) showed prices up 0.3% for January and down just 0.7% from … continue reading Bill Losey’s Weekly Economic Update for March 29, 2010 Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 Reforms become law. President Obama signed his long-envisioned health care reforms into law on March 23, and he will sign the amendments to the bill into law on March 30. Most of the major changes will take effect in 2014, when health insurance will become compulsory for nearly all Americans. New taxes will help fund the reforms. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the modificat
