[kochevnik]

I have been on a contract with a major manufacturer of electronic circuit boards. For the second time in as many weeks, I heard a couple of the long time workers discussing how bad the order book was going forward - way less than 50 percent of the normal business - out 10 weeks it's down to only about 3 percent of normal.

They seemed to think it might be possibe that this was just because they were being out-competed and losing business - but in any case these guys had been thru this before and were somewhat resigned to the fact that a lot of people would probably get canned.

I've personally reacted by deciding to wait longer to buy some expensive machinery I was planning on getting. I suppose many other will do the same - after all that's what depressions are made of at heart.

Personally, I think the US economic roller coaster has just recently (in the last few months) passed its' peak and we are now on the long slide down into the second great depression. Be years before we get there, but I thnk the train has left the station at last, as some of us have been predicting for years.

Housing bites, auto sales bite, and now electronics look like they are about to experience major suckage as well.

Be an interesing year either way.

[DoubleD]

The media reports (business news items) also seem to indicate a distinctly worrisome trend in the electronics sector (among others). What is comical is the blatent attempt to put some happy twist to the reports to calm and insure potential investors.... "sales declined, layoffs required.... but HEY! They should be all set for a turn around after they reduce the work force by 1/3!!!"

Ummm... yeah.