April 2014 Macro Pulse -- Economic Thaw or Just More “Green Shoots”?

The byword regarding the past several months’ less-than-stellar economic news has been “It’s the brutal winter weather.” With winter passing, however, headlines heralding the coming of spring and an anticipated “thaw” of the U.S. economy have proliferated. For example:

Feb 28 – U.S. GDP revised down, but hints of economic thaw emerge offered hope for improvement.

Mar 7 – As Job Creation Increases in February, Economists See Signs of a Spring Thaw, cited easing fears of another prolonged hiring slowdown.

Mar 31 – Everyone Will Be Watching For A Spring Economic Thaw This Week - Here's Your Complete Preview promised that “we are now entering the period when pent-up demand should begin to emerge, and a reacceleration in economic activity will become more apparent.”

Apr 21 – Thawing out: After a bitter winter, warmer spring temperatures are revitalizing the US economy claimed “the economy is regaining momentum...and the improvement appears to be widespread across the country.”

Click here to read the rest of the April 2014 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.