Managers SIZE UP THE NEW YEAR

摘要

Following three brutal years marked by fierce price wars, anemic profits, and weak demand, printing company executives, industry economists, and analysts are optimistic that 2004 will be the year that business picks up. On the general economic front, the news is good. The revised estimate for the third quarter put U.S. economic growth at more than 8%, the highest rate in 20 years. Meantime, says the government, more jobs are being created than destroyed and inflation remains in check. The consensus outlook for this year calls for continued strong growth, possibly reaching 4%. Assuming that the economy tracks as expected and grows by around 3.5% to 4%, print markets should gain momentum in 2004, reports Ronnie H. Davis, chief economist for the Printing Industries of America, Alexandria, Va.