02 April 2013

More Evidence for Optimism About 2013 - Car Sales

Reported in the Atlantic's new Quartz, it is not just stocks and homes that Americans are again buying.

US auto sales in March hit their highest level since 2007, showing American consumers are indeed in a mood to go shopping.... luxury Cadillac brand was up by almost 50% compared to the same period last year.The sales numbers show the US auto industry is in a sustainable recovery.  The news is even better for luxury brands, which posted stronger gains than their mass market counterparts. BMW, Audi, and Lexus all reported double-digit percentage growth in sales.

As mentioned previously in this blog, economists were oddly cautious in their forecast for 2013. I think they should have been optimistic instead. This, it seems to me, is further proof that GDP will grow by more than 3% in 2013. (That optimistic prediction is explained here, The Wealth Effect Will Boost 2013 GDP.)