Many people became convinced that data releases earlier this year indicated that “recovery” in the U.S. was imminent. But as I have been saying for months, this evidence would ultimately be shown to be as reliable as sightings of Bigfoot. Lots of people claim to say they have seen it, some even produce plaster footprints, but in the end all we have is a guy in an ape suit.
The economic recovery, that has been discussed so loudly and often in recent months, will be shown to be similarly mythical.
A torrent of recent economic data now reveals weakness, and investors are beginning to take notice. Friday’s release of the May jobs report showed a paltry 69,000 jobs created during the month, far below consensus estimates. Not only did the current month disappoint, but the June numbers were also revised down by 49,000. This release follows yesterday’s downward revisions of first quarter GDP growth from 2.2% to 1.9%.
Also lost in the headlines was that the savings rate dropped to 3.4% in April, the lowest rate since December 2007. This shows that Americans may need to deplete their already meager savings just to keep their heads above water as the U.S. economy sinks back into recession.
Related: spdr sp 500 etf (SPY), ishares russell 2000 index (IWM), spdr dow jones industrials etf (DIA)
Peter Schiff`s comments on the economy, stock markets, politics and gold. Schiff is the renowned writer of the bestseller Crash Proof: How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse.
