Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

The immediate economic future looks bright, barring a few bumps down the road

Mitchell Hartman Apr 20, 2018
HTML EMBED:
COPY

The immediate economic future looks bright, barring a few bumps down the road

Mitchell Hartman Apr 20, 2018
HTML EMBED:
COPY

The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index, which was up 0.3 percent in March, indicates the economy looks pretty good heading into summer and fall. The index crunches forward-looking measures like building permits, factory orders and unemployment claims to predict where the economy will be six months from now. And it looks as if the economy is growing at a fairly strong rate. But there are potential clouds on the horizon: President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs and potential retaliation by China, which could lead to price spikes, industry contraction and layoffs. And Wall Street has been fairly volatile lately, with some steep daily drops in the stock market, as well as quick recoveries. So is the economy on track to continue expanding? And for how long?

Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.