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4 days ago | 
plasticsnews.com | Don Loepp |Bill Wood
Plastics industry economist Bill Wood doesn’t foresee a recession, but he warns that slowing growth, weak performance in key sectors and an unprecedented confluence of global and domestic factors make this one of the most difficult economic environments to interpret in decades. Recording below. “This is the fulcrum of the moment,” Wood said in the June Numbers That Matter editorial livestream.
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1 week ago | 
plasticsnews.com | Bill Wood
The second quarter is coming to an end, and I am starting to perceive an eerie sense of calm in the financial markets and the most recent economic data. Under normal circumstances, I would welcome calm conditions — it's summertime, after all. But all of the economic tumult of the past few years has caused me to become more cautious. My confidence in periods of market and economic calm has been replaced with concerns about market complacency.
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3 weeks ago | 
plasticsnews.com | Bill Wood
U.S. imports plunged in response to anticipated tariffs, temporarily pushing GDP into negative territory, but consumer spending and other indicators suggest the economy has not yet entered a recession. Bill Wood, PN economics editor, notes in his latest Numbers Matter Shorts that while the decline in plastics imports is a positive sign, continued volatility and weak manufacturing data leave the outlook uncertain.
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1 month ago | 
plasticsnews.com | Don Loepp |Bill Wood
In the May edition of Numbers That Matter Live, Plastics News Economics Editor Bill Wood offered a frank, wide-ranging look at the economic headwinds — and potential turning points — facing the U.S. plastics industry. Wood pulled no punches (recording below) in his assessment of the impact decades of offshoring have had on domestic manufacturing.
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1 month ago | 
plasticsnews.com | Bill Wood
I often hear the term "inflection point," and to be honest, it has lost much of its weight. These moments are often more clearly identified in hindsight. Many events are prematurely labeled as turning points, while truly pivotal ones go unnoticed until long after the fact. So when someone declares, "We are at an inflection point," I respond with skepticism. But I also acknowledge that inflection points are real — and in the context of the economy and business cycles, they can be momentous.
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1 month ago | 
plasticsnews.com | Bill Wood
Plastics News Economics Editor Bill Wood describes the current economic climate as “The Great Disturbance,” marked by sharp contrasts between soft and hard data. While consumer and business confidence has dropped since new tariffs were announced, key economic indicators like employment and inflation remain stable. A spike in imports distorted GDP data, as businesses rushed to buy goods ahead of the tariff implementation.
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2 months ago | 
plasticsnews.com | Don Loepp |Bill Wood
The odds for a recession are rising, but aren’t at 50-50 yet, according to Bill Wood, Plastics News’ economics editor. In the April Numbers That Matter editorial livestream, Wood discussed the impact of tariffs on the plastics industry, noting that current data — the declining dollar, rising gold prices, and volatile stock markets — are indicators of economic uncertainty. Recording below.
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2 months ago | 
plasticsnews.com | Bill Wood
I will start this month's column with a forecast: The roller-coaster ride is not over. I have taken a hard look at the recent data, analyzed the predominant trends and can state with an elevated level of confidence that the market and economic gyrations resulting from the policies initiated by the Donald Trump administration will extend at least into the next few months. And there is a rising possibility the commotion will persist much longer than that.
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Mar 25, 2025 | 
plasticsnews.com | Bill Wood |Don Loepp
In the March 25 Numbers that Matter Live, Bill Wood discussed the growing U.S. trade deficit in goods — which jumped from $100 billion to over $150 billion in just one month — and its implications for the plastics industry. Recording below. Wood questioned the effectiveness of tariffs, including on key end markets for plastics including automotive, construction, packaging and appliances. “I don't see the economic argument for doing it this way.
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Mar 24, 2025 | 
plasticsnews.com | Bill Wood
Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Patrick Harker, as quoted in The Wall Street Journal: "None of us in the profession can say for sure what's going to happen."With the deadline for activation fast approaching, the dominant narrative in the media still pertains to tariffs. And this voluminous narrative shows no signs of cresting. I expressed my fundamental disdain for tariffs in my last column (Assessing the U.S. motor vehicle market amid potential tariffs, Feb.
