Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/94387
AGGBEAT Q3 GDP: The U.S. economy may be sluggish, but an Oct. 26 report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported 2-percent growth in real gross domestic product for the third quarter of 2012. This means that U.S. economic growth is slow but not slowing, according to Kathy Bostjancic, director for macro- economic analysis, The Conference Board. Bostjancic says it is difficult for the domes- tic economy "to grow any more robustly, given the relatively soft pace of consump- tion and investment, weak sentiment among businesses, continued austerity for state and local government spending, weak exports, and the looming 'fiscal cliff.'" (For the Aggregates Manager blog post regard- ing the 'fiscal cliff,' go to www.aggman.com/ the-nation-is-hurling-itself-toward-a-fiscal- cliff-says-abc-chief-economist/. Bostjancic notes that "negative head- winds from Europe and Asia" appear to be more persistent than previously thought. However, amidst the negativity, Bostjancic thinks housing is finally turning into a positive factor after a long decline. Nevertheless, she adds, the United States remains poised to at least partially fall off the "fiscal cliff," citing politicians as responsible for this. Bostjancic predicts that politicians are likely to let the payroll tax cut and extended unemployment ben- efits expire at the end of this year. "This should depress economic growth to below 2 percent in the first half of 2013," she says. "Assuming the economy does not go off a deeper cliff, however, activity could resume to more than 2.5-percent growth in the second half of the year. For that to happen, wage growth would have to pick up and give some much-needed impetus for consumption." We take AGGBEAT TO GO Economy muddling through To get daily news updates from AggBeat Online, scan this tag with your smart phone. and make it what's next. PT Smart™ Belt Trainer Flexco trackers work better for one simple reason: They're designed to. Mistracking is one of the most costly issues with conveyor belt systems. That's why Flexco provides a full line of innovative tracking products to help keep your belt in line. Like the new PT Smart™ a first-of-its-kind innovation that uses two actions to guide your belt back to the correct path. PT Smart performs even in the toughest wet or dry conditions. And, because it's economical and installs quickly, you'll minimize downtime and extra costs. Easy-to-install, advanced belt trackers — just another Flexco innovation to keep your operation moving forward. Belt Trainer, with our unique pivot-and-tilt technology — FLEXCO.COM/WHATIF CLEANERS LAGGING ROLLERS TRACKING AGGREGATES MANAGER December 2012 7 IMPACT BEDS