Kiplinger Business Spending Outlook: Still Cautious for Now, Stronger Later

Businesses will invest more after the Federal Reserve signals it is going to start cutting interest rates.

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Business spending on capital equipment is still slow, as businesses wait for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. Inflation-adjusted shipments and new equipment orders have been declining for two years, as interest rates rose, lenders tightened loan standards, and the economic outlook remained cloudy. 

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David Payne
Staff Economist, The Kiplinger Letter

David is both staff economist and reporter for The Kiplinger Letter, overseeing Kiplinger forecasts for the U.S. and world economies. Previously, he was senior principal economist in the Center for Forecasting and Modeling at IHS/GlobalInsight, and an economist in the Chief Economist's Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce. David has co-written weekly reports on economic conditions since 1992, and has forecasted GDP and its components since 1995, beating the Blue Chip Indicators forecasts two-thirds of the time. David is a Certified Business Economist as recognized by the National Association for Business Economics. He has two master's degrees and is ABD in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.