The U.S. economy was the central issue during the general election as candidates parsed unemployment numbers, examined access to capital and debated health care costs. Now that the campaign is over, however, questions remain about where the economy is headed and what businesses, both large and small, can expect in 2013.
Martin Regalia, the chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will provide a fresh look at economic indicators and interpret their potential impact on the dairy industry at the 2013 Dairy Forum in January.
In a recent column, Regalia said things started to look up for manufacturing during 2012.
“Equipment and software investment increased at an annual rate of 7.2 percent in the second quarter after a 5.4 percent rise in the first quarter, and this measure is up 9.2 percent over the last year," Regalia said. "Businesses are also beginning to add to plant capacity with investment in structures up 11.2 percent over the last year.
"On a cautionary note, business inventories are elevated, and businesses will be reluctant to continue this level of investment without seeing continued improvement in demand.”
Regalia oversees the Chamber's Council on Small Business and the Corporate Leadership Advisory Council and is senior vice president for economic and tax policy. He has appeared on national television news and debate programs, testified before congressional committees and authored articles and publications on a variety of economic topics. His recent columns are available at freeenterprise.com.
Dairy Forum 2013 will be held January 27-30, 2013 at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes, Fla. From perspectives on what the 2012 general election means to dairy to insights into global trade negotiations, Dairy Forum will examine how the world is changing and what dairy businesses need to do to stay competitive.