US manufacturing is in a 'technical recession.' How worried should we be?
If you are looking for signs of trouble in the U.S. economy, many experts (and politicians) point to manufacturing. The industry is facing the double whammy of President Trump’s trade war and declining purchases from abroad as Europe, China and other countries are slowing down.
The red flags have been rising for the manufacturing section this year. Hiring has slowed sharply. Last year, the sector was averaging 22,000 new jobs a month, according to Labor Department data. This year it’s down to 8,000. And a popular gauge of manufacturing’s health — the PMI (Purchasing Managers’ Index) — has tumbled in recent months and now sits at near-recession levels.
Big companies like Caterpillar, which makes construction equipment, and Fastenal, which is the largest fastener distributor in North America, have reported disappointing earnings in recent days. While the overall U.S. stock market has surged more than 20 percent so far this year, Caterpillar stock is up less than 4 percent.
But the biggest warning sign arrived last week when the Federal Reserve reported that U.S. manufacturing was in a “technical recession” the first half of 2019.
The widely held definition of a recession is when output shrinks for two consecutive quarters. According to the Fed’s U.S. industrial output data, that’s exactly what happened: Output fell for the January through March quarter and again in the April through June quarter.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/us-manufacturing-is-in-a-technical-recession-how-worried-should-we-be/ar-AAEQSZF?li=BBnbfcN
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TPTB want us to buy their products & services but they don't want to pay us enough so we can buy their products & services. 
Actually, I think we're beyond that. I think TPTB want us to die-off so they can enjoy this beautiful planet without all the takers & eaters. They are delusional about how hot the planet already is & the changes coming down the pike. There are no more happy endings.
