At some point this number will matter.
US stocks rising yet again, following yesterday’s gains, as President Obama signs new health-care legislation into law.
Positive reaction to the passing of the health bill is a bit perplexing, especially since many expected health care to act as a drag to the market’s yearlong rally.
But as we noted yesterday, it looks like there could be several benefactors from the legislation, ranging from hospital operators and pharmacy-benefit managers to drug and medical-device makers. And the final vote has added some much-needed closure to the situation, which seems to please investors.
But the ballooning federal budget deficit isn’t lost on some, and this $940 billion piece of legislation has Harvard economist Greg Mankiw worried about future implications:
In addition, I could not help but fear that the legislation will add to the fiscal burden we are leaving to future generations. Some economists (such as my Harvard colleague David Cutler) think there are great cost savings in the bill. I hope he is right, but I am skeptical. Some people say the Congressional Budget Office gave the legislation a clean bill of health regarding its fiscal impact. I believe that is completely wrong, for several reasons (click here, here, and here). My judgment is that this health bill adds significantly to our long-term fiscal problems.
Nevertheless, the stock market keeps puttering along. DJIA’s up 44 at 10830, while S&P 500′s up 2 to 1168.
“I don’t read this market rise as an endorsement of expanding federal indebtedness, but rather a vote of support for the functionality of government,” John Curran writes at Time’s Curious Capitalist blog.
