A survey finds consumer confidence among Americans is at its lowest level in six years and one national bank is projecting a recession is just over the horizon. Jim Tausz, a financial advisor in Clarion, says most of our nation’s economy is prospering, with the exception of a few key areas.
Tausz says certain segments of the economy aren’t chugging along fine, the home-building and construction industry are in "troubled waters" and the U.S. economy is "in danger of having that happen big time." The national poll finds concerns about jobs, high gasoline prices and home foreclosures have pushed down the confidence index to its lowest level since the ratings started in 2002.
Tausz says the government may be able to spark some enthusiasm about spending, or all of the talk about recession will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
He says the tax incentives being considered by President Bush might help the situation, while Wall Street needs to get more of a positive attitude, or else: "That’s been the history of the market. If we think we’re going to have a recession, by golly, we’ll probably have one." He says news reports can have an impact on people, too, and when they continue to hear that things are bad, they’ll start to believe it and respond accordingly.
Tausz says: "We’ve got some serious problems out there, but I would say 80-percent of the economy’s in good shape, 20-percent isn’t. The 20-percent that isn’t is affecting everybody because of the mortgage crisis, because of the banking and credit crisis." Still, he says it’s not all gloom-and-doom. Tausz suggest stocks that were worth $20 a month ago might be selling for $12 now, which means it’s a good time to buy at bargain prices — a move that, in turn, would help the economy to rebound.