Summary

Efforts to gauge the strength of the U.S. economy have been difficult at best, with the bevy of economic indicators appearing to conflict with one another. And this widespread opinion on the direction of the economy has American industry in a quandary, with the construction industry included. Just what Alan Greenspan and his Federal Reserve Board will do is anybody's guess, especially with a presidential election on the horizon.

Steven C. Nearman is president and CEO of Nearman Financial Consulting Inc., an investment management and brokerage firm in Alexandria, VA.