I got my January 2, 2015 edition of The Kiplinger Letter just a day ago. It included ten forecasts for 2015. The first one was very upbeat as it read “the economy will finally hit stride racking up solid 3% growth for the year. Look for consumer confidence and spending to swell, propelled by more-robust hiring, higher wages and lower energy expenses plus wealth gains from stronger home values and a healthy stock market”. I read another report in the most recent American Fastener Journal, and it was not so upbeat as the Kiplinger Letter, but it was not bad. The STAFDA economic report was, again, not bad but perhaps not as upbeat as Kiplinger. So, overall, I’d say the fastener and construction based magazines were just a little less optimistic than the Kiplinger Letter.
Sometimes, our industry sees things before other industries do. We see a slowdown in parts procurement before the consumer sees the flow of end products slow down. I’m not saying it is the case here, but I know this has been the case in the past.(…)
