The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Chrysler announced it plans to pump another $843 million into three factories to build a new front-wheel-drive transmission.

 

The U.S. economic recovery will remain slow deep into next year, held back by shoppers reluctant to spend and employers hesitant to hire, according to an Associated Press survey of leading economists.

 

General Motors announced that it will invest $163 million in two Michigan plants and an Ohio foundry to make small-car engines.

 

The AP economic experts say unemployment rates will be no lower at the end of the year than it is now, 9.5%. A majority think it will be 2015 or later before the rate falls to a historically normal 5%.

 

Let’s face it, you either read good or bad news on how the economy is rebounding depending on whom you’re talking with. Maybe that’s why it may not be a good idea to read all the rosy stories or the gloom and doom forecasts about how things will be in the next few years.

 

More finishers and coaters I know have been fairly optimistic about things turning around for them in 2011. In fact, many have said they are already seeing more orders and higher margins that in years past. Some of that may be related to the fact that there are fewer finishers and coaters vying for jobs these days, making the market better for those still churning out plated and painted parts for OEMs.

 

But, there is also the sense that it just can’t get any worse … can it?