Stuart Hoffman Quotes (28 Quotes)

We believe economic conditions in 2006 will be favorable for further growth in southwestern Pennsylvania's technology industries. Rising business confidence, healthy growth in business investment spending, and increasingly available venture capital will leave our region's technology industries on firmer footing in 2006. A highly diverse technology base and the presence of world-class research institutions mean that, over the longer-term, technology will continue to play an increasingly significant role in the economy of southwest Pennsylvania.

Inflation, it's been a clean sweep for July. We learned earlier this month wages were unchanged, yesterday producer prices fell again, and this morning you're right on the money, relatively benign consumer price inflation report. No problem.

Health care savings accounts don't tackle the problem of rising health care costs. This is not an attempt to rein in the cost of health care. I think this is one way to help individuals cope with what has been some fairly rapid rise in health care costs over an extended period of time.

If you take into account the revisions, the average for the last three months are still very strong. It's consistent with the housing starts number. People are still active in home buying. This decline in January is probably a month dip. It's a head-fake.

His statements have set up a pause at the June meeting after they move in May. That doesn't mean we are done. He's leaving the door open to resume hikes at subsequent meetings.

Stocks and bonds rallied at first, but now have hemmed down. Stocks are coming off a superb day yesterday, so that may be a little profit taking.

(Tuesday) won't be the last. This is not the sort of cheap and easy (money) period of the past several years.

It's a very good report. That's good news post-hurricanes. It shows us the job market is alive and well.

People drew some comfort in the smaller-than-expected core index, but I think the core is a bit deceptive.

People's wages are going up, but they are not keeping up with inflation.

At the same time, many retailers and the automakers have had good June numbers, despite the rise in oil prices (over the last month). Overall, there's some relief right now that the economy is indeed strong, but not overheating.

When the economy is growing faster and businesses want to replenish inventories and make the kind of capital expenditures, mergers and acquisitions that outstrip their internal financing, then they will turn to banks.

The bottom line is it is a very solid report, but with continued inflationary pressure building up, it will make it easy for the Fed to conclude (Tuesday's meeting) with a quarter-point increase,

It's consistent with a higher first-quarter GDP.

There is no question that we've entered a new era. The question seems to be how long it will continue, and the jury is still out on that one.

I think the Fed will look at the core number and determine that it was understated, and still raise rates by a quarter-percentage point at the meeting on November 1.

The results show a stable outlook among business owners for their own sales and profits during the next six months, which suggests they are adapting to higher energy prices and interest rates. Many, however, are taking aggressive steps to counter continued increases in costs for employees' health care coverage, which could mean reductions in benefits for some employees.

Growth is stronger, but inflation is less, so it's still that great combination of strong economic growth with even less inflation than expected that's helping bonds.

This is a very weak number and well below what everyone expected. It's not the kind of report the Fed likes to see, but I think they'll recognize that the economy is already rebounding and raise the federal funds target rate to 4.5 percent.

It's clear that job growth in the last three months has been as slow as it has been in quite a while. It is a picture of a somewhat slower or weaker job market.

Clearly the Fed's main eye is on inflation. They are more worried about inflation because they view the setback to economic growth as temporary.

The CPI captured the center stage as it's the biggest one-month increase in 25 years, ... We certainly know why, with energy prices having skyrocketed.

While energy prices are a major concern and price pressures are in the factory pipeline, business is still quite good.

The first half of the decade has not been good for Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania in the sense of economic growth. But for this year, I believe we have turned the corner.

These are exactly the kinds of things the Fed likes too see. Signs of a slowing in housing and still-contained inflation are the kinds of numbers that speak to the Fed stopping in May, making that their last rate hike.

We've heard some disappointing reports about the final couple of weeks before the holidays, so we won't see as big of an increase in December, ... but when you combine November and December, this is about the best holiday season we've seen since 1999.

The bottom line is that Greenspan is in no way signaling that the Fed's tightening ballgame against inflation is nearly over.

I think the Fed will move a quarter of a point at the end of June, then they may pause. I don't think they're going to stop. I don't think the ball game is over. I think if we are in the late innings and it's still a tie between the risks of higher inflation and slower growth, as Dick Fisher did say, this could go into extra innings.