“This year was one for the record books, with manufacturers’ average optimism for 2018 hitting an all-time high,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons, in a release to the Daily Business News on MHProNews.

 

“Empowered by tax reform and regulatory certainty, manufacturers are keeping our promise to expand our operations, hire new workers and raise wages and benefits. But as this survey also shows, we face challenges, most seriously the workforce crisis. We have more than half a million jobs to fill right now—and by 2028, as many as 2.4 million could go unfilled if we don’t equip more Americans to take on these high-tech, high-paying careers,” Timmons said.

 

There is a blizzard of emails that hit the MHProNews inbox daily, so frankly, at first this report was initially overlooked.  It wasn’t until we saw the White House release on this same topic that we circled back for the toplines of this report.

 

 

While NAM represents sentiments of manufacturing in general, it certainly is a useful insight for the producers of manufactured housing.  It is also useful for those who are market watchers, investors or those working at other levels in the factory-built housing industry.  Why?

 

Because the broader manufacturing sector is booming.  Manufacturers are often somewhat happier about an issue like tariffs, that are rankling investors.

Much of what is imported from nation’s like China are finished goods, produced in a factory. If an improved trade deal emerges from the drama of 2018, that will be welcome news.  But if not, it is entirely possible that even more manufacturing will return to the U.S., and that is good for America too.

Two more points, before turning to some toplines from the related White House press release.  First, as factory-producers and developers know, there are a growing number of imported units coming into the U.S.  Tariffs – if the trade tiff continues – could arguably mean that some will turn to a domestic builder instead of one from China.

Second, all news has to be considered carefully, mainstream or other news.  Right or wrong, 92 percent of the news – per third party research – has been negative toward the Trump Administration. It is thus useful to periodically see that vantage point, to balance out the headlines from the left and right that we present each evening during our market recap.

With that intro, let’s look at the latest news and views from the White House.

 

 

Optimism Among U.S. Manufacturers at Record High Heading into 2019   “American manufacturers think the future looks bright,” Joe Williams reports for the Washington Examiner.   “Nearly 89 percent of the 539 companies polled by the National Association of Manufacturers in the fourth quarter held a positive outlook for their business, bringing the yearly average to 92.4 percent, the highest in the survey’s 20-year history.” Click here to read more.

 

 

Saturday will mark the one-year anniversary of President Donald J. Trump signing historic tax cuts into law. “Kevin Hassett, chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, said strong capital spending and economic growth are proof that the good times can be sustained,” Gabriella Muñoz writes in The Washington Times. “We got exactly the growth affect we predicted last year,” Hassett said.

 

 

“Thankfully, the era of broken promises ended in 2016,” Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., writes in the Ledger-Enquirer. “For Trump, strengthening American communities is fundamental to American success. The FIRST STEP Act does just that by establishing job-training initiatives to better prepare prisoners to re-enter society after they are release.”

 

 

In USA Today, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue writes that the Trump Administration’s new proposed Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) rules will encourage productivity instead of poverty. “The president has directed me, as Secretary of Agriculture, to propose regulatory reforms to ensure that those who are able to work do so in exchange for their benefits.”

 

 

“During the 2016 campaign, President Trump promised blue-collar and low-wage service sector workers that he would improve their lot. A new labor-market study by a major business group suggests he’s kept his word,” the Investor’s Business Daily editorial board writes. “The study by the Conference Board, the New York-based global business organization and think tank, found that blue-collar workers aren’t just doing better, they’re now in short supply.”

“We Provide, You Decide.” ## (News , analysis, and commentary.)

NOTICE: You can join the scores who follow us on Twitter at this link. You can get our ‘read-hot’ industry-leading emailed headline news updates, at this link here.

NOTICE 2: Readers have periodically reported that they are getting a better experience when reading MHProNews on the Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari browser than with Google’s Chrome browser. Chrome reportedly manipulates the content of a page more than the other two.

(Related Reports are further below. Third-party images and content are provided under fair use guidelines.)

1) To sign up in seconds for our MH Industry leading emailed news updates, click here.

2) To pro-vide a News Tips and/or Commentary, click the link to the left. Please note if comments are on-or-off the record, thank you.

3) Marketing, Web, Video, Consulting, Recruiting and Training Re-sources

Submitted by Soheyla Kovach to the Daily Business News for MHProNews.com. Soheyla is a managing member of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.

 

Related Reports:

Millionaires Survey IDs Top Threats to Their Wealth

Scandalous, Presidential Politics, Affordable Housing, Mobile and Manufactured Homes

“Check Your Facts,” “Follow the Money” – Journalist Sharyl Attkisson, Fake News, MHVille Takeaways