Economists and policy makers almost universally agree that 2015 will be a crucial year in the world economy, as we see whether major markets reflect recent signs of improvement or keep sliding. It’s a time of uncertainty, when even the IMF is predicting uneven global recovery and is unsure how the economic landscape will look this time next year.
The news junkies here at The DealMaker have been following all the reports as they come out and thought it would be useful pulling them together to get a bigger picture. So here are expert quotes – good, bad, and ugly – on what to expect in 2015.
The Good
“We’re in the recovery—we’re recovered.”
–Derald Bontrager, Chairman of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association
“Although overall growth maintained roughly the same pace as in prior years, the composition of growth has shifted, and will adjust further in 2015. The team is finally beginning to gel, and all of the domestic sectors of the economy are growing again.”
–Wells Fargo
“Positive fundamentals are in place for the momentum in the global economy to improve during 2015.”
–Nariman Behravesh, Chief Economist at IHS
“We have very solid momentum entering 2015. Labor markets are doing better, the consumer has a more favorable outlook for the economy and their own incomes, and they’re acting on it.”
–Michael Gapen, Barclays
“The U.S. economy, helped by a stronger job market and falling oil prices, should enjoy the fastest economic growth in a decade next year.”
–The National Association for Business Economics
“The demand side of the economy will generate better growth than we saw last year, with good, solid growth in 2015.”
–Bill Conerly, Forbes
“After suffering through its fourth recession in six years, the Japanese economy will rebound in 2015, albeit only to around 1 percent.”
–Ansuya Harjani, CNBC Asia
“OK, everybody, let’s get excited about 2015.”
–Peter Coy, Bloomberg Businessweek
The Bad
“The Federal Reserve is expected to step off the sidelines and raise short-term interest rates in the second half of 2015. Once the rate-hiking cycle begins, the path upward is likely to be more gradual than it has been historically.”
–TD Economics
“The economics of 2015 may look similar to the late 1990s, but the politics will probably be rather worse.”
–The Economist
“The Russian economy will slide next year into its first recession since the global financial crisis and inflation will be close to double digits.”
–Reuters economic poll
“Developing countries are headed for a third consecutive year of disappointing growth below 5 percent, as first quarter weakness in 2014 has delayed an expected pick-up in economic activity.”
–The World Bank
The Ugly
“Clearly the direction of most of the recent global economic news suggests movement toward a 2015 downturn.”
–David Levy, The Jerome Levy Forecasting Centre
But hey, it’s really all about the deals you make. Here’s wishing a successful 2015 to all of our DealMaker readers.
