We are all eagerly anticipating the restart of U.S. economy, yet I suspect it is going to be much more complicated and will require much more collective expertise than getting a blown film line installed and running, Economics Editor Bill Wood says.

“We are not quite past the threat of further disruption from the coronavirus, and it will be a large task to rebuild our economy. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel," according to Economics Editor Bill Wood. 

The urgent question on everyone's mind right now is, "Is it working?" As of this moment, I believe the answer is a qualified, "Yes."

As we all know by now, statistics from the first two months of 2020 reflect life before the new coronavirus, COVID-19.

For the short-term outlook for business spending, the things that cause concern are the recent downward trends in the investment levels for both equipment and structures.

Construction spending in the U.S. for 2019 wasn't terrible, but I can't help but think we should be doing better. Interest rates are at historically low levels, and construction rates are barely higher than the rate of inflation.

My current outlook calls for resin prices to come in flat to down through the first few months of this year, and then climb gradually higher in the second half.

The growth rate for total consumer spending has stayed close to the 4 percent line for the past 10 years. From a historical perspective, this pattern is unusual.

My outlook for the North American plastics industry in 2020 is mixed. For the industry as a whole, my production forecast calls for a gain of 1 percent.

Consumers are the driving force in the U.S. economy, so this week I am analyzing the three major indicators of U.S. consumer behavior.

Despite all the talk of uncertainty, the overall message I get from the macroeconomic data is one of stability.

Will the strength of the consumer sector be enough to provide a soft landing for the industrial sector? Or will the decline in business investment gain momentum and ultimately pull the consumer sector down with it. To put it more succinctly, will we have an overall economic recession next year or not?

Consumers are fully employed with rising incomes. They also have relatively low levels of household debt, which has been accrued at low interest rates. And most importantly, they account for over two-thirds of all U.S. economic activity.

The demand for molds can be extremely volatile, but even moderate swings in the overall totals can represent huge hardships for some shops.

It is stating the obvious to say the U.S. plastics industry changed substantially in the past 30 years. But if we want to manage, or even benefit, from future changes, it is necessary to glean an understanding of the lessons from the past.