HOUSING CRISIS TO EASE IN 2008
UCLA Anderson Forecast Director Edward Leamer had said "The housing market woes are expected to begin easing up by late 2008 and, despite mounting job losses and fuel and food cost increases, the country will avoid a full recession."
"Our no-recession forecast remains nervously intact," said "We see a lot of problems in the first half of 2008 as housing remains a drag on GDP growth and weakness in personal consumption contributes as well. We expect one quarter of negative GDP growth. The Fed continues to dish out good news for Wall Street with ever lower interest rates. The labor market is sluggish and unemployment elevates to 5.5 percent by the end of 2008. But the housing drag on GDP dissipates in the second half of the year and a normal economy returns in 2009."
