My 2009 Economic Forecast for Wholesale Distribution

Yikes! The latest economic data do not look good. More than half of the 19 major wholesale distribution sectors had negative (inflation-adjusted) year-over-year revenue growth through the third quarter of 2008. I also expect downward revisions to the Q3 GDP data that I discussed last week in Mostly Bad News in Q3 Snapshot of U.S. Economy.

The housing-led slowdown has now turned into a deep U.S. recession that will probably be comparable to the 1981-82 recession. Unprecedented financial and credit market volatility has reduced prospects for a quick turnaround. As I see it, 2009 will bring slow growth for both GDP and the wholesale distribution industry, although the economy will remain in a recession (negative growth) through at least the first half of 2009 and possibly longer.

So as we all turn our attention to the challenging year ahead, I want to remind you about my 2009 Economic Forecast for Wholesale Distribution webcast happening this Thursday, November 13, at 2:00 PM EST. You can sign-up online here.

I am working hard to make this a great event. During this webcast, I will help you to become familiar with just about every major macroeconomic issue that’s currently in the news. You will also get a 30+ page report with detailed, written commentary on every slide. It’s a great opportunity to bring your top managers together and strategize about 2009.

If you can’t attend next week, you’ll still get the report and be able to listen to an audio recording after the event.

Some of the topics that I’ll cover include:

• U.S. Macro Economic Outlook, including GDP and Employment
• The credit crunch and the bailout
• Exports, Commodity Prices, and the Dollar
• B2B Industry Outlook for Manufacturing, Construction, and Retail industries
• Specific 2009 Forecasts for each of the 19 major wholesale distribution sectors

I will also be taking audience questions during this live event, so please feel free to email me in advance with any specific questions that you would like to me to address.

If you have already signed up, then I look forward to your participation.