This forecast provides a broad overview of the economy, examining trends in economic growth, inflation and interest rates.
Another great year for Roofing Contractor readers! That is how I would characterize the year 2000. Economic growth and increases in productivity remained solid. The construction industry remained very healthy. The big negative was the very volatile stock market and especially the losses experienced on the tech-weighted NASDAQ. To provide you with an economic forecast for 2001, I consulted with David Orr, senior vice president and chief economist for First Union Capital Markets Corp., Charlotte, N.C. Orr provided substantial input for this article as well as the accompanying charts.
This forecast is divided into three parts. The first provides a broad overview of the economy, examining trends in economic growth, inflation and interest rates. This sets the stage for the second part, a discussion of specific trends in the construction industry. The third part provides a discussion and suggests trends for the stock market in 2001.