NABE Economists Survey Forecasts Weaker US Economy and Corporate Profits

Business economists are more pessimistic, predicting weaker growth in corporate profit and the economy than they were late last year, a survey found.

The median estimate from economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics said business profits would rise 2 percent in 2016, down from the 5 percent growth forecast in December.

The survey also found that most economists have lowered their outlooks for economic growth in 2016, and now expect that the U.S. will grow 2.2 percent this year, on average. That’s down from a December prediction of 2.6 percent growth. The survey also found that 79 percent of economists lowered their growth outlook for 2017.

While lower gas prices are giving U.S. households some more cash for consumer spending that could power economic growth, Americans have been cautious. The Federal Reserve has predicted that a typical U.S. household will have about $1,000 more to spend this year because of lower gas prices. But so far much of that has been saved or used to pay down debt. About half the NABE economists said that Americans would keep saving the largest part of this windfall in 2016, while 62 percent said they would use much of it to pay down debt. The economists could choose more than one option.

via CNBC

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Alfonso Esparza

Alfonso Esparza

Senior Currency Analyst at Market Pulse
Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.
Alfonso Esparza