Economic trends.

Many people are paying more attention to economic trends than they did before the credit meltdown. Financing the Future News. Long-Term Financial Planning Resources, Notices, and Events--an electronic newsletter from the GFOA's Research and Consulting Center--provides its subscribers with a monthly summary of relevant statistics. Government Finance Review will reprint an excerpt of those statistics in this and subsequent issues to help GFOA members keep track of the overall economic picture. (To be added to the mailing list for Financing the Future News, e-mail ltfp@gfoa.org.)

Confidence Trend/ Indicator Result Source Significance Consumer Declined to The Increase to 55 Confidence 49.3 in June, Conference was expected from 54.8 in Board May Consumer Up to 69 in University Fourth month Confidence June, from 68.7 of Michigan of improvement in May Economic Growth Trend/ Indictor Result Source Significance Economist "People talk about green shoots; I see many yellow Nouriel Roubini weeds instead. When I look at the data ... I see (Who Famously [problems with] consumption, retail sales, Predicted the production, investment, housing, employment Current conditions, etc. So I expect the recession is Economic going to last at least another six months ... Crisis) given the imbalance of the economy--the weak position of households, consumers, banks, financial institutions, corporates--they all have too much debt ... I see a period of two years of low economic growth in the U.S." Federal Reserve Unemployment, 9.2 percent to 9.6 percent; GDP, -2 Revised 2009 percent to -2.3 percent; core inflation, I percent Forecast to 1.5 percent Former Fed "An expectation of some growth late this year and...