Can someone answer this question? With some companies setting record profits, why aren't they hiring more people?
Because of the uncertainty of the future combined with what is known.
What we don't know:
1) Taxation: We obviously will have to raise taxes to cover the insane spending and the ever rising debt. Will it be done by raising corp taxes? Individual? If you are a corp and listening to Obama rail on Corps... you should expect your taxes will be rising. If you think he will win, you hold off spending any cash that you don't have to.
2) Europe: Will it be a controlled fall or an uncontrolled mess? This answer, which we do not yet know, will greatly impact the economic recovery of the US.
3) China: How bad will their real estate problem become? How will they address that combined with their own slowing economy?
What we do know:
1) Economic growth worldwide is slowing. So why add labor at this time? It is far too costly to hire and train someone that you might have to lay off in six months.
2) The idiots in DC in both parties are showing no signs of fiscal responsibility. That means ever increasing debt. Which means by necessity higher taxation.
3) We cannot continue pushing the problems of today into the future with the vain sense that they will go away. Nor can we expect future generations to pay for our pain. The constant push for 'more stimulus' be it from Congress or the Fed Reserve is moronic. It is only going to cause the bubble to get ever larger and be all the more painful when it bursts. It is time to take some pain so that we can get on with a true recovery.
4) Short term 'stimulus' measures from Congress are pointless at this time. Either enact true Keynesian theory or do not. True supply side theory or do not. Enough of the half measures that do not work. Handing money to failed state governments is not a solution. It is a reward for poor management and should not be taking place.