October 2013 Macro Pulse -- Grass Gets Trampled When Elephants Fight

We typically leave politics out of this publication, but the current wrangling in Washington, D.C. is difficult to ignore. Moreover, how the situation is ultimately resolved will profoundly affect the country’s future economic trajectory. The ongoing brinksmanship brings to mind the African proverb that “when two elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled.” The best we “grass” can hope for is a speedy resolution that does the least damage to the country’s fiscal condition and economic freedom.

Several federal agencies we rely on for data closed as funding dried up at the onset of the new fiscal year. With one or two exceptions, however, we were able to obtain the information we normally need to write this report. Some developments from September follow:

Click here to read the entire October 2013 Macro Pulse recap.

The Macro Pulse blog is a commentary about recent economic developments affecting the forest products industry. The monthly Macro Pulse newsletter summarizes the previous 30 days of commentary available on this website.