Will 2010 Be Good for Business?

Let's use the Dow Jones Industrial Average as a proxy for the health of the economy (and therefore strength of manufacturing sector). The first 20 years of the twentieth century was a period of economic stagnation, following the growth of the "gay nineties". After a period of expansion from 1920 to 1929 there was a 25 year period of stagnation. The next expansion phase ran from 1942 to 1965 and then the Dow entered a 17 year period of stagnation. The next expansion phase started in 1982 and lasted intil 2000. If history is a guide, it will be a long time (17 to 25 years) before the economy enters another expansion phase. Sure, there are short periods of growth within the stagnant periods, but the overall trend is for no growth and will probably be that way for a while..