June 30, 2010 - The American economy has now registered a reasonable growth pace for three straight quarters, following four straight quarters of economic decline. A 3.0% real (inflation adjusted) annual growth rate during 2010’s first quarter largely mirrors the consensus view of forecasting economists for growth over the balance of the year. Before the end of the year, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the official scorekeeper for the U.S. economy, is likely to determine that the Great Recession ended sometime between June and September of 2009. The Great Recession—which started in December
2007—will be the longest, deepest, most painful, most costly and most pervasive recession since the Great Depression.

Source: Tea Leaf, weekly guide to understanding today’s economy and financial markets (http://www.thredgold.com/ )