XPost: talk.politics.misc, austin.general, houston.general   
   XPost: rec.autos.driving   
   From: obama-lies@invalid.org   
      
   Companies are increasingly confident the economy will grow at a   
   modest pace over the next year and are hiring more, according to   
   a survey of business economists.   
      
   Nearly one-third of the economists surveyed by the National   
   Association for Business Economics said their companies added   
   jobs in the April-June quarter, according to a report released   
   Monday. That's the highest percentage in nearly two years. And   
   39 percent expect their firms will hire more in the next six   
   months. That's near the two-year high of 40 percent reached in   
   the January-March quarter.   
      
   The hiring pickup occurred even though sales and profit growth   
   slowed in the second quarter.   
      
   Optimism about future economic growth increased. Nearly three-   
   quarters of the survey respondents forecast growth of 2.1   
   percent or more over the next 12 months. That's up from two-   
   thirds in the first quarter survey, released in April, and the   
   most in a year.   
      
   The quarterly survey's results echo much of the recent data   
   tracking the economy. Growth has been slow in the past nine   
   months, but employers have added jobs at a healthy pace. Many   
   economists anticipate that the steady hiring will help   
   accelerate growth in the second half of this year.   
      
   The NABE surveyed 65 of its member economists between June 18   
   and July 2. The economists work for companies from a variety of   
   industries, including manufacturing, transportation and   
   utilities, finance, retail and other services.   
      
   Among the findings:   
      
   — Only about 35 percent of the respondents said sales at their   
   firms increased in the second quarter. That's sharply lower than   
   the 55 percent who reported rising sales in the first quarter.   
   And 15 percent said sales fell, up from 9 percent in the first   
   quarter.   
      
   — Profit growth also slowed: Only 21 percent of respondents said   
   profit margins increased last quarter, down from 29 percent in   
   the first.   
      
   — Only 19 percent of economists said their firms were raising   
   wages and salaries, down from 31 percent in April and the lowest   
   proportion since October.   
      
   — A small but increasing minority of respondents say that   
   government spending cuts and tax increases have hurt their   
   businesses. Twenty-six percent of the economists said their   
   firms were negatively impacted, up from only 16 percent in   
   April. Still, 74 percent said the government policies had no   
   impact on their businesses, though that's down from 79 percent   
   three months earlier.   
      
   http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/survey-brighter-us-economic-   
   outlook-boosts-hiring-19730977   
      
   What kind of moron would try and spin bad numbers like this   
   using a survey?   
      
   Oh yeah, an ABC employed moron.   
      
                   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)