Bill Wood Economics Editor [email protected] (413) 489-3287 See All Staff Page Recent Stories Numbers that Matter Live May 2023: Recession looking less inevitable . Recovery may be in sight if debt ceiling talks cooperate Bill Wood: "For now, I am inclined to stay patient, but vigilant. ... There are headwinds, but nothing to justify more dramatic action just yet." Numbers that Matter Live April 2023: Signs of optimism despite the gloom Data shows plastics' chronic labor shortage abating At the peak, there were more than two openings for every unemployed worker in the U.S. As of this past February, the ratio had fallen to close to 1.7 jobs for every worker. Numbers That Matter Live March 2023: Credit crunch to impact plastics Bank failures complicate the picture for the US economy Economics Editor Bill Wood: "At the present time, I am not forecasting either a soft landing or a hard landing this year. But I am not ruling anything out." Economic data is full of drama. What does that mean for plastics? Economics Editor Bill Wood: The trick going forward is to tease out the signals from the noise. The push and pull relationship between demand and prices during the past three years will take years to understand completely. Numbers That Matter Live January 2023: Expect short-term pain, strong rebound in 2024 Plastics companies face ‘strong headwinds’ in 2023 In 2022, the total number of house starts declined by an estimated 2 percent compared with 2021. For 2023, Economics Editor Bill Wood's forecast calls for the annual total to drop another 10-15 percent. Material Insights: Plastics market outlook for 2023 The plastics market forecast for 2023 is shaping up to be another interesting year. Economics Editor Bill Wood stops by this week's Material Insights to share what to expect this year as the U.S. plastics industry navigates higher interest rates, lowering demand and inflation. US plastics forecast for 2023: Slow growth, widespread volatility Bill Wood: "It is no secret that Jerome Powell and friends are aggressively attempting to temper consumer demand in a quest to quell inflation. But do they possess the skill — or luck — to pull the rate of inflation down to an acceptable level and also avoid a contraction in overall economic activity?" As the Fed battles inflation, end markets brace for impact Even if everything goes as planned, Economics Editor Bill Wood says don't expect the Consumer Price Index curve to get down to normal levels for another five or six quarters. Strong US dollar impacting global plastics sectors Recession or not, slower growth in spending is inevitable Economic good news: Inflation and supply chain issues easing Bill Wood: As we prepare to start the fourth quarter of 2022, it is my pleasure to report that the U.S. economy is not in a recession — at least not yet. Load More