The confusion of our economy continues. With somewhat brighter news, the Labor Department reported that the number of newly laid-off people signing up for unemployment benefits last week dropped by 21,000 to 509,000.
What was the next story? Venerable AT&T is laying off 12,000 people, or 4% of its workforce. Combine that with the press-friendly road trip that the auto execs took to Washington DC and you have a veritable blend of hope, despair, and confusion.
Many pundits believe that the holiday shopping season will be full of "re-gifting" (get ready to see lots of bottles of wine and old toys re-wrapped). Dollars won't be flowing the way they were in past years.
2009 will be a make or break year. With Barack Obama assuming the presidency, the spotlight will be on how the economy performs. In the meantime, it makes sense to work with your employers to see how you can improve job security as well as get the annual bonuses and raises that should come to companies that are still doing well. There are many.
That's why these are mixed results. Ah the ups and downs of economics. I like the ups better.
Nobody Likes a Meanie Greenie
3 hours ago
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