Economists have been rapidly ratcheting down their growth forecasts to keep pace with the latest onslaught of negative news. While global equity markets expectations are much saner relative to the lofty expectations of yesterday, a turnaround in six months is not guaranteed. Major central banks are preoccupied with their region’s unique economic woes so the responsibility then presumably falls on the United States, yet it seems ill equipped to do the world’s heavy-lifting at this time. American corporations are currently concentrating on increasing or stabilizing profits only over the short-term by cutting costs, not by increasing sales, which requires an improved global macro environment.