U.S. Posted Budget Surplus of $59.1 Billion in April... first surplus since 2008

[Joe Republic]

This was already mentioned in the Economics board, but for obvious reasons this has ramifications that belong in this board too.

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[Simfan34]

What? You are joking, right?

[Sbane]

No, it really happened Simfan. I'm just not sure if it will be sustained or if this is a one time thing.

[© tweed]

that's a shame.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This.....this is possible??

[tpfkaw]

Hmm, what important date occurs in April?

[Sbane]

Hmm, what important date occurs in April?

What was the budget surplus or deficit in April 2011?

[Joe Republic]

No, it really happened Simfan. I'm just not sure if it will be sustained or if this is a one time thing.

As the full article points out, and wormyguy alluded to in an attempt to appear clever, April is more often than not a surplus month for reasons that should be obvious.  A slip back into deficit is not just likely but expected.

A surplus was recorded in 44 of the last 58 Aprils.  Whereas 2009, 2010 and 2011 were among those 14 'bad' Aprils, 2012 was not one of them.  Therefore, an economic recovery is indisputably underway.

[Politico]

Hmm, what important date occurs in April?

Fun fact: Most of the Democrats on here have no idea what you're talking about.

[Politico]

No, it really happened Simfan. I'm just not sure if it will be sustained or if this is a one time thing.

As the full article points out, and wormyguy alluded to in an attempt to appear clever, April is more often than not a surplus month for reasons that should be obvious.  A slip back into deficit is not just likely but expected.

A surplus was recorded in 44 of the last 58 Aprils.  Whereas 2009, 2010 and 2011 were among those 14 'bad' Aprils, 2012 was not one of them.  Therefore, an economic recovery is indisputably underway.

*Sarcasm* I am glad to hear that 2008 was an "indisputably" strong year from an economic standpoint! Great logic, my boy! *End Sarcasm*

Sadly, the bears are right and the bulls are going down.

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

The surplus is a good indicator that tax revenues have risen, as they have been since 2009.

[argentarius]

It's hard to deny that the economy is improving. The question is whether Europe blows up before November.

[Politico]

It's hard to deny that the economy is improving

Really? The stock market is a leading indicator, and things have not been well the past couple of weeks. Furthermore, the jobs report for April was downright dismal. The only reason that is not what we are talking about is because of Obama/Biden's politicization of gay marriage and the success of the CIA/Navy SEALs.

[King]

No, it really happened Simfan. I'm just not sure if it will be sustained or if this is a one time thing.

As the full article points out, and wormyguy alluded to in an attempt to appear clever, April is more often than not a surplus month for reasons that should be obvious.  A slip back into deficit is not just likely but expected.

A surplus was recorded in 44 of the last 58 Aprils.  Whereas 2009, 2010 and 2011 were among those 14 'bad' Aprils, 2012 was not one of them.  Therefore, an economic recovery is indisputably underway.

*Sarcasm* I am glad to hear that 2008 was an "indisputably" strong year from an economic standpoint! Great logic, my boy! *End Sarcasm*

Sadly, the bears are right and the bulls are going down.

You are trying to make either two of the following points:

(1) Budget surpluses equate economic collapse

(2) America was in a recession in April 2008

Both of them, if correct, are negatives for your candidate if true.  How non-partisan of you to try and point it out.

The stock market is a leading indicator

And the Dow Jones is up 5,000 points since Obama's inauguration.

[Politico]

No, it really happened Simfan. I'm just not sure if it will be sustained or if this is a one time thing.

As the full article points out, and wormyguy alluded to in an attempt to appear clever, April is more often than not a surplus month for reasons that should be obvious.  A slip back into deficit is not just likely but expected.

A surplus was recorded in 44 of the last 58 Aprils.  Whereas 2009, 2010 and 2011 were among those 14 'bad' Aprils, 2012 was not one of them.  Therefore, an economic recovery is indisputably underway.

*Sarcasm* I am glad to hear that 2008 was an "indisputably" strong year from an economic standpoint! Great logic, my boy! *End Sarcasm*

Sadly, the bears are right and the bulls are going down.

You are trying to make either two of the following points:

(1) Budget surpluses equate economic collapse

(2) America was in a recession in April 2008

Both of them, if correct, are negatives for your candidate if true.  How non-partisan of you to try and point it out.

Obviously 2 is correct and 1 is incorrect. I was making the following point: A budget surplus this April does NOT mean the economy is on the upswing. Need evidence? Look no further than the fact that the last time this happened was 2008, which ended up being a year that appeared to be starting off OK and quickly went downhill. Don't forget: Recessions are not called until quite some time after they start. The atmosphere within firms is not good right now, although not as bad as this time four years ago (but still bad). Need evidence? Look at April's jobs report.

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We've had a recovery, but it is the "jobless" variety. Like I said, the stock market is generally a leading indicator (although the Dow was up 17% for the entire year of 1980, but that had more to do with inflation). It has been on the downward trend the past couple of weeks. It is not a good sign for the rest of the year.

[Bacon King]

Politico:

-April's job support was actually a bit stronger than most people make it out to be. Sure, could be better, but take a look at the non seasonally adjusted numbers.
-The stock market market's been erratic lately (over fears from Europe and China, mostly) but the S&P 500 still has a YTD increase of 7.62%, and DJIA has a YTD increase of 4.94%.
-Stock market isn't the only leading indicator. The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index shows consistent "broad based gains in all components" for the US.
-The fact that this is the first April in four years with a surplus is indisputably a good sign. Sure, alone it doesn't mean that everything is suddenly rosy. But you can't say it doesn't matter.

[pbrower2a]

Due to withholding the government collects tax revenue all year. The only income taxes that the government is likely to collect in April that it does not collect in other times is on taxes not withheld (typically on dividends and interest).   But in any event, budget surpluses in a strengthening economy indicate that the reckless spending of the Dubya era has abated and the effects of the 2007-2009 meltdown are taking less of a bite out of the budget.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

What's kind of cute... but clearly desperate is the Republicans taking impartial evidence, not just here, but elsewhere, which clearly indicate a clear recovery trajectory (albeit uneven)... it's their biggest nightmare. They cannot allow nor deal with a recovery a) brought about by a Democrat and b) and one that undermines their core economic argument... that the government can't do anything right and the best way is to make sure the richest get to keep their money....

The message is clear... any good news isn't and anything bad (actually, it doesn't have to be bad... just not as good as last month) is just a taste of the doom coming from the Socialist...

Ah... no wonder people hate politics.