Weak jobs market expected as housing starts turn down.  Although a recession check-in isn’t making its appearance in the crystal ball yet, the odds for a decrease in spending as well as new and existing home sales are increasing.

 
The National Association of Realtors cited that new home sales slid 16.5% and expects existing house sales to fall 7.6% in ’06 U.S. manufacturing index fell and growth is cooling faster than expected according to The Institute for Supply Management, Hoping against  a major hurricane, oil price spike or  terrorist attack, the slow down may be mild.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) estimates 48,000 private security and military contractors (PMCs) are stationed in Iraq.

The Pentagon's insistence on keeping a lid on military force requirements (thereby avoiding the need for a draft) is one reason for that astronomical growth, which has boosted the fortunes that observers project the industry will be a $200 billion per year business by 2010.