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American manufacturers are enjoying a moderate recovery, but Europe’s financial crisis poses a great risk to both factories and the wholesalers who are both up-stream and down-stream from them. That recovery is shown by an increase of manufacturing output, up... Bill Conerly

Maybe I’m a little jumpy, having just created a series of videos about business planning with a risk of recession. Today’s foreign trade data worry me. If the United States economy is going to turn down, then foreign trade is... Bill Conerly

I posted a video about how to do economic contingency planning for the risk of recession with respect to your business's strategic initiatives on my Forbes.com page. Here's the introduction: The economic forecast has a major weirdness. Most of my... Bill Conerly

I've posted a new video on my Forbes.com page on the subject Business Planning With A Risk of Recession. Here's the introduction: We economists are predicting light to moderate growth this year, but we’re also saying there is a significant... Bill Conerly

Wood products demand is far more sensitive to the economy than demand for almost any other product. The outlook for the next two years is moderately positive, at least compared to the weak domestic markets we’ve seen since the downturn... Bill Conerly

Courtesy of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (Hat tip to Peter Conerly.) Bill Conerly

Although the economy is not growing rapidly, some companies are anticipating strong growth and recognizing the challenges that growth can present. Yes, growth is not always easy. There can be challenges to financial resources, labor and the one we'll discuss... Bill Conerly

United States businesses sold nearly $40 billion worth of goods to South Korea last year, a record volume. Over the first three quarters of 2011 we’re running 13 percent above last year’s pace, so South Korea is a very good... Bill Conerly

Japan has had some difficult times, but its economy is still vitally important to many American businesses. Our exports to Japan totaled $60 billion last year, and so far this year they are running 10 percent higher, despite the problems... Bill Conerly

China’s economy is increasingly important to many American businesses. Even if your company doesn’t export, you may be selling to another company that depends on China for a significant portion of its revenues. I’m not a China expert, but one... Bill Conerly

Consumer spending fell and gradually recovered–-but that’s not the whole story. Stressful times change the composition of spending as well as the total level, a lesson that all business leaders should understand. Earlier this year I spent some time with... Bill Conerly

Should a business buy its own building in this market? A small business owner recently asked me that very question. I think it’s a great idea to consider in many areas, given the weak real estate market, but it’s not... Bill Conerly

Real estate markets are unbalanced in most parts of the country: vacancy is too high, but construction is too low. That sounds contradictory, because construction should be low when vacancy is high. Looking forward, however, we’ll find insufficient supply when... Bill Conerly