For Immediate Release
November 1, 2006

Contact:  Robin Doussard
Oregon Business magazine
503-223-0304
editor@oregonbusiness.com

Recession fears in Oregon may be overblown

Home sales are down, timber prices are cropping and the local news reports are full of doomsday chatter. Economists have been anticipating a recession for months now, but is that what’s around the corner? Local economists and industry leaders say that much of the despair is overwrought, and that while there are some weaknesses in Oregon’s economy, the experts are cautiously optimistic.  Some factors that give our editors hope are the relative stability of the Oregon housing market versus other regions, the strength of the tourism and agricultural sectors, and our relatively modest reliance on consumer spending.

The results of November’s Input survey mirrors the conclusions of our editors, with a significant number of the 600 business leaders polled stating that they are a little more worried than last year about the economy, but still hopeful.

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