NA Economic Outlook: Slower H1 2021, But Much Stronger H2 2021 Expected

Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

SUMMARY.  In our previous forecasts, we have discussed some hope for a V-shaped recovery, it did not materialize.  Our conclusion was based on several factors, such as the current economic cycle, overall strength of the economy, fiscal policy, political landscape in the US and globally, etc. After managing through the early stages of the pandemic in H1 2020, we saw good trends in H2 2020 and we had reasons to be optimistic for a quick recovery.

However, the recovery took a slight pause during the last few months.  Unemployment continued to increase, and regional lockdowns prevented the necessary demand for a significant year-end growth.  Now that the elections are over, we’ll have yet to see what the new administration will be able to achieve during the next two years.  Specifically, if the long awaited infrastructure reform can be passed.  However, fiscal policy with near zero interest rates, which government has promised to keep in place for the near future, will provide a good platform for the economic recovery and allow us to look optimistically into 2021-2022.

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Near Term Recession Fears Recede in North America

SUMMARY.  The North American economy remained stable in 2019 and pure economic conditions as well as fundamentals in the region were favorable. Most industries performed very well, and the short-term outlook remains stable to flat for most market segments. However, we see many new developments that could suggest a shift in the trend.

Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

Consumer confidence declined slightly in December, following a moderate increase in November.  The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index stood at 126.5 in December, 1.4 points higher than in September 2019. 

Per Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board: “While consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved, their expectations declined, driven primarily by a softening in their short-term outlook regarding jobs and financial prospects. While the economy hasn’t shown signs of further weakening, there is little to suggest that growth, and in particular consumer spending, will gain momentum in early 2020.”

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North American Economy Should Be Strong in 2022 But Grow at Slower Pace

Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

SUMMARY.  2021 was a year of big hopes for economic recovery and pandemic management, and, overall, the economic rebound was strong.  Looking at the state of the economy in general, and the key economic indicators such as GDP, interest rates, employment levels, etc., the North America market finished the year on a very high note. At the same time, development of new pandemic variants as well as ongoing issues with supply chains have led to manufacturing issues.

The second half of 2021 brought steady economic activities and strong economic recovery.  Despite this strong performance, many existing and new challenges were seen.  Problems from pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, logistics backlogs, and semiconductor shortages to new virus variations and labor market issues have contributed to slower growth in Q4 2021 than during the first half of last year. 

Let’s break it down.  The “Great Resignation” means companies must make themselves more attractive to new hires, and it provides those workers who remain more leverage to change corporate cultures from the inside.

With help of government support and targeted fiscal policies, the US economy showed a strong comeback in 2021.  Furthermore, the growth trajectory is well positioned to continue to expand into the next few years, however, at much slower pace, than in 2021. 

At the same time, there are many reasons for us to be optimistic about this trend.  Our positive outlook is based on the reviews of key economic indicators, including GDP, unemployment, and inflation.  In our previous forecasts, we discussed recovery trends for the post-pandemic period, and called for a return of demand for most markets in 2021.   Last year, we witnessed a strong level of activities and an economic  rebound for

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North American Economic Outlook – July 2021

Yosyf Sheremeta, PhD, Director of Product Management and Customer Experience, analyzes the North American economic outlook by industry segment.

Transcript

Welcome to the PowerTALK podcast produced by Power Systems Research.

00:06 Joe Delmont

From Power Systems Research, I’m Joe Delmont, editor of PSR PowerTALK.

Today, we’ll talk with Yosyf Sheremeta about the economic outlook for North America. Yosyf is Director of Product Management and Customer Experience for Power Systems Research.

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North American Economic Outlook – April 2021

In this episode of PSR PowerTALK, Yosyf Sheremeta, PhD, Dir. of Prod. Mgt. & Customer Experience, discusses why the North American economy could post record growth of more than 6% in 2021.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3G06suFSJDqQvs9LThYhrI?si=RamKZMRqQx2oSrjNYUIePw

Transcript

Welcome to the PSR PowerTALK podcast, produced by Power Systems Research.

00:06 Joe Delmont:

From Power systems Research I’m Joe Delmont, editor of PSR PowerTALK.

Today, we’ll discuss the economic outlook for North America. This forecast has been developed by Yosyf Sheremeta, Director of Product Management and Customer Experience at Power Systems Research. Yosyf provides our clients with economic and production forecasts each quarter. Thanks for joining us today Yosyf.

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Q2 2018 Shows Further Evidence of Paradigm Shifts Following 2017 Hurricanes

SUMMARY: Gen-set sales climbed 5% over Q1 2018 levels in anticipation of the camping season and end of fiscal year for many government and industrial consumers. While fewer dealers commented on specific-storm related residential demand this quarter, the 5% growth this quarter does seem to indicate that last year’s hurricanes may have raised the gen-set market up to a new normal, especially when compared to the 1.8% growth reported in Q2 of 2017.

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NA Gen-Set Sales Strong in Q3 2018

SUMMARY: Gen-set sales in North America climbed 6% in Q3 2018 over Q2 2018, with the focus switching from larger industrial standby’s and construction site power generation earlier in the year to residential standby sales as part of winter-preparedness.

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Smaller Bauma Returns To Munich

Summary. After more than three years, Bauma, one of the largest construction events in the world, reopened its doors for seven days in Munich Oct. 24. Power Systems Research (PSR) had a five-person team at the event, discussing trends with industry representatives, from new products and services to topics around the future evolution of sustainable technologies.

The show was smaller than the last time it was held, in 2019. Close to 3,200 exhibitors from 60 countries (2019: 3,684 exhibitors from 63 countries) participated and more than 495,000 visitors from over 200 countries (2019: 627,603 visitors from more than 200 countries) came to Munich for the event.

Bauma is the world’s leading trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment. International visitors made up about 50% of the attendance. That’s a change from 2019 when about two-thirds of visitors came from Germany.

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Gen-Set Sales Gain Momentum in Q2 2017

SUMMARY: Considering sales across all power ranges, gen-set sales gathered some momentum in Q2 2017, up 1.8% compared to Q1 2017 levels.  This increase follows Q1 2017 where overall dealer reported sales were down 5.5% relative to Q4 2016 levels.

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We Expect 2020 NA Overall OEM Production To Be Flat

This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.

SUMMARY.  The North American economy remained stable in 2019 and pure economic conditions as well as fundamentals in the region were favorable. Most industries performed very well, and the short-term outlook remains stable to flat for most market segments. However, we see many new developments that could suggest a shift in the trend.

Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

Consumer confidence declined slightly in December, following a moderate increase in November.  The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index stood at 126.5 in December, 1.4 points higher than in September 2019. 

Per Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board: “While consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved, their expectations declined, driven primarily by a softening in their short-term outlook regarding jobs and financial prospects. While the economy hasn’t shown signs of further weakening, there is little to suggest that growth, and in particular consumer spending, will gain momentum in early 2020.”

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