I know it seems I am constantly talking about forecasts and
economic conditions and it’s probably because I am. Basically I get asked a few times a week
about the economy, about the different projections online, and about the
different data points- so I like sharing it here. This week had more of the same because
several stories came out with reviews of both the first 6 months of 2016 and
more recent month-to-month reporting.
The story tones were mixed, mostly because the data was. On the positive- The AIA released a mid year
update and while noting several roadblocks current and possible, was very
confident in a positive finish to 2016 and an entire 2017. On the flip side- Dodge had their midyear
piece and was not as confident, focusing more on the fact that we had fantastic
growth and it’s slowing down a bit from that.
Add to that the release that construction spending went down for a 3rd
straight month and you could start sensing concern.
The analysts I follow and trust are still very much in the positive
camp and actually expect some of these reports to be revised up after further
review. Good, quick piece here fromBloomberg spells some of it out. Plus we
are actually still ahead of 2015 by 6% so basically we are quibbling over how
much growth and not just staying positive.
In addition the mid year consensus has growth predicted to finish at
almost 6% this year AND next. Still the
memories of 2009 and 2010 are amazingly fresh in many of our minds and the time
it took to really get cranking again seemed to take forever. So whenever we have these blips on the radar
it does cause some angst. Bottom line
for me right now is we’re in a good place, let’s keep rolling but obviously
continue to monitor the trends.
One item that can and will have an effect but is not really
known on how much is the US Presidential election. In normal cycles a Presidential election has
an effect of some type. For those of us
living in the US, this cycle is as far from normal as you can get. So that is surely an item to always have in
the back of your head…
Elsewhere…
-- I am surely one that tries to support anything sustainable
but I have a question for those of you experts out there. So I am online ordering tickets for a few
upcoming ballgames. The site notes in
order to “stay green” that paper tickets are unavailable. OK that makes sense. But then they note, mobile and electronic
entry are not available so you need to “print your tickets at home.” So my question is, how are we being more
sustainable if I print the tickets vs. the venue printing?
-- Fun picture laden piece that came via the great Twitter feed
of Viracon’s Garret Henson (@Viracon_Garret) on fritted glass. I love looking at the buildings and usage of
glass but I will say the article is a bit shortsighted. There are many more options than they listed
or focused on to meet these aesthetic goals, and I would’ve like to seen them
mentioned. Despite that glaring omission
I love when glass is shown off like this.
I just may have to do my own splashy photo piece showing the options!
-- On that note of great looking glass, I really enjoyed the blog post from Kris Iverson last week on the Glassblog. Clear, concise and helpful piece and yet
another reminder that communication rules.
-- Last this week… The Olympics are underway and if you can
remember this was the one that the US badly wanted for Chicago. The effort fell short back in 2009 when the
games were awarded but can you imagine IF Chicago would’ve won? With the security shown at 4-day events like
political conventions, I could only imagine the mess Chicago would’ve been
during this. Oh and with an Olympiad
that close, I would’ve done everything to go too… I know my pal Tom O’Malley of Clover
Architectural with his Chicago connections would’ve taken great care of me!
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Dumpster pools… hilarious, innovative and soon to be no
more.
-- Not sure what to make of this story…
-- A “bee hive” of justice for driving under the influence!
VIDEO of the WEEK
Bizarre screw up on America’s Got Talent recently. Guy gets shot in the neck with an arrow…
1 comment:
Re: printing tickets at home to stay green: definitely greenwashing
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