Quote from asiaprop:
I think we can both agree the Fed is in a predicament. Inflation-> Rates -> Housing/Mortgages vs. unemployment -> consumer spending -> rate decision
I believe globally, but also in the US, inflation will force most central banks to hike rates more aggressively than the employment market warrants. Different arguments can be made, but at the very least I dont buy into your rosy painted picture of the markets. And I dont buy into inventory buildups as a driver of what we have seen nor where we gonna go from here.
This chart from the Fed explains it all:
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CBI
The change in private inventories drove the severity of the so-called "Great Recession". Now the rebuilding of private inventories is going to drive the severity of growth that we are about to see.