This month's modest gain indicates that the sharp rebound from the post-Hurricane Katrina meltdown has been completed. The gentle slowing trend that had been in place for much of 2005 may have been halted, but it is too soon to tell with any confidence.
Quotes about post-hurricane (9 Quotes)
Oil and natural gas prices have fallen sharply from their post-hurricane highs. However, production from the Gulf of Mexico is still down by more than 15 percent, keeping supplies tight. As of mid-March, the national average retail price of diesel fuel was around 2.55 per gallon, 60 cents below the record set after Rita but 35 cents (16 percent) higher than a year ago.
While the record drop in the top level index spells welcome relief from the painful post-hurricane energy price spikes in September, continued pressure on the core index over the next several months will keep the Federal Reserve vigilant on the inflation watch.
At the moment, post-hurricane, we have to view fiscal policy as being turned to be even more pro-active than before,
Lowering the deficit further in the near term, however, will be difficult in light of the need to pay for post-hurricane reconstruction and relief,
Retail spending was much stronger than anticipated. Although some of these gains were due to post-hurricane spending, it appears that consumers are not yet ready to throw in the towel.
A month post-hurricane and it's still not out. It is an extreme health hazard.
Louisiana's performance in the wake of the hurricanes is impressive. Statewide results are receiving a strong boost from construction crews and other personnel in the region for the post-hurricane reconstruction. We think displaced gamblers from the Mississippi Gulf Coast are also driving growth.
This suggests at least some of the post-hurricane rebuilding is under way, ... We suspect that further and potentially much larger gains in construction payrolls are likely.