There have been plenty of signals that the US economy is in recovery mode. Housing prices seem to have stabilized, the stock market has regained a lot of ground, some companies have reported better than expected earnings, some steel companies are starting some operations back up – yet amongst all this, unemployment is still way up, other industries such as paper mills continue to close up shops, thousands more workers are being laid off and the expected key point of President Obama’s State of the Union address tonight will be job creation. So, are we truly in a recovery? Or is this just a temporary upswing to be followed by another crash? Compared to recessions in the past few decades, this one seems to be clouded in unprecedented ways. So many conflicting indicators and opinions – which seem to prolong skepticism, becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There is a lot of talk about how the US economy will emerge from recession. One thing is sure, the manufacturing sector in the US is still sluggish. The question is, will it continue to crawl along, fall back into recession or bounce out quickly? According to an article in Recycling Today, over a third of manufacturers and steel service centers surveyed believe we will see a fall back before we see full recovery. So, what are your thoughts?

So, will trading in steel scrap futures really present long-term protection from price fluctuation risk? Haven’t the recent large swings in oil prices been tied at least partially to the trading of oil futures? Call me naive or whatever you want  – from my vantage point, it seems like just another opportunity for a few to get rich at the peril of many others, including adding additional risk to our economy. What are your thoughts on this?

While this news isn’t very heartening, let’s try to look on the bright side. At least when the automakers go to purchase steel to make cars, the steel will be at a greatly reduced rate so they should be able to cut their losses to the point they may actually make money. And, according to our good President Obama, this would bode well for the US population because if GM and Chrysler can be turned around and make money, our investment of however many billions of dollars will pay off and we’ll all get additional tax breaks. So, there you have the silver lining to the dark cloud of the depressed steel market outlook. It’s ok, no need for a standing ovation, just send me money so I can buy one of those new cars.

Steel markets continue to be soft and the price of ferrous material continues to slide a little. So, if scrap recycling and steel manufacturing tend to be leading indicators of economic recovery, it looks like we’re still some ways off. But, I don’t think that at this point, that kind of news is startling to anyone.

I would rather look at things that are going right. For instance, home sales in the month of February actually increased. And, take a look at this article. Yes, we made it to the pages of Recycling Today. Pacific chooses to take advantage of the opportunities that are present due to the recession. Good things continue to happen and it is up to each of us to stop wallowing in all the negative garbage around us and try to focus on those things that are right. By doing so, our attitude will catch on with others and the movement begins to grow.