Growth May Slow, Not Stop

From the Tennessean (12/30/07): "'We are not having to dig out of such a big hole as some other states,' said David Penn, a Middle Tennessee State University economist who sees questions marks — but no catastrophe — in the economic forecast for the new year."

• "'We are not having to dig out of such a big hole as some other states."
• "We have a diverse industrial base, a huge health-care sector, universities, a competitive banking environment, and we're a transportation hub."
• "Residential real estate should find more of stable footing in the year ahead. Inventories (of homes for sale) are starting to level off on a seasonally adjusted basis.... Low interest rates should ... spur a decent number of sales of existing homes and keep housing supply and demand in balance as 2008 progresses."
  
• Regarding 2008 home sales in the nine-county Nashville area: "We won't see as bad a drop, but it will at best be a break-even year."