Sounds like the title of a newspaper with all the recession talk these days. While millions of U.S. airline travelers are stranded across the nation, the rest of us are paying the highest prices we’ve ever seen for a gallon of gas. But Carol Sottili of the Washington Post’s Travel Section shares a discussion about what travelers can do in the face of so many airline cancellations. It’s finally bad enough that some politicians are talking about airline re-regulation again. The cost of cancellations certainly hurts airlines and passengers, but with the price of fuel skyrocketing, maybe a few extra planes on the ground doesn’t hurt their business either.
What chance many of us thought for avoiding a recession here in the U.S. is now all but certain. Many experts believe we’re already in a recession and that company earnings reports are going to get worse before getting better. Others think that understanding the recession dynamics is really pretty simple. I certainly agree that it’s all about people. I also think it’s all about people’s response to economic challenge, and these days the economic challenges have continued to grow. So if the recession is here, what do we do about it? Matt Callow shows us how to profit from the global recession.
Is it really that bad out there? While some economists think the worst of the credit crunch is behind us, some folks think that a Worldwide Depression is a Real Possibility. That sounds alarmist to me, but as Ronald Reagan once said,
“A recession is when a neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours.”
He was pointing out that it can be a matter of perspective. Are we going to see a depression? I can’t imagine it, but if gas prices don’t start retreating it’s going to get a lot harder for the U.S. economy. Business week shows us that as with much in life, how bad it is out there depends on whom you ask. But it’s a wake-up call for many as recent data shows that Americans recorded the largest-ever plunge in retirement confidence in 18 years of polling.
The markets continue to wander with many investors wondering if it’s time to step back in the pool. But The Big Picture presents some interesting data and says stocks are really not cheap yet.
As to valuations: “Its hard to really say that stocks are cheap here. At best, I believe we can argue that — assuming that historically high earnings do not fade — that stocks are not terribly expensive. But that is very different than saying they are cheap.”
It’s hard to say what’s cheap or not these days while we hang on every snippet of bad news. But for a little perspective, I like Minyanville’s 35 Signs the Market Hasn’t Hit Bottom Yet.
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