The economic data in the US this afternoon has once again provided very little to get excited about. As with yesterday it was not sufficiently bad to create a sell off but also not good enough to create the foundation for a rally. We are in a situation in which the market is now struggling for direction and it is unclear as to where the next significant move will be.


The US weekly initial jobless claims came in at 450,000 which were broadly in line with expectations and there will be some relief that the figure did not increase on last week’s level of 450,000. However, it should still be remembered that claims remain at elevated levels.

The Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index just failed to make it into positive territory with a decline of -0.7 compared to the previous reported level of -7.7 and consensus expectations of an improvement to 3.8.

Other US data published today was the Producer Price Index for August. The headline rate showed a +0.4% month on month improvement whilst the core rate (excluding food and energy) showed a more modest improvement of +0.1% month on month. Overall there is still little in the way of inflationary pressure in the US economy and we should get confirmation of this tomorrow with the publication of the August CPI.

Tomorrow in Europe the German Producer Price Index for August is due for publication and in the US apart from the CPI we also get the next reading for the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment for September. The last reading was 68.9 and the consensus is expecting an increase to around 70.0.

The US data today has not provided any reason for major disappointment but at the same time there is little reason for optimism. The Empire State Manufacturing Index came in at 4.14 compared to consensus expectations of 5.0. The new orders element of the index moved back into positive territory from the -2.7 reported last time to +4.3 whilst the employment element remained relatively static at 14.9. Whilst this report only covers New York State it is clear that the manufacturing sector in the US has slowed down considerably during recent weeks. Tomorrow the report for Philadelphia is due for publication. This index declined last month to -7.7 indicating contraction and the consensus is looking for an improvement during September to around +4.0.


Other data that has been published in the US today is Industrial Production for August which was in line with expectations with a +0.2% month on month improvement. The July figure was revised down a little to +0.6% from +1.0%.

UK unemployment published today for the 3 months to July fell by 8,000 to 2.47 million which was less than what analysts had expected. There is no major economic data due for announcement in Europe today.

Tomorrow the initial weekly jobless claims will be in focus in the US. After the partially estimated reading last week analysts will be keen to see what this week holds. The consensus is looking for a number around the 450,000 mark. Other data due out in the US tomorrow is the Producer Price Index for August. In the UK retail sales for August will be published tomorrow with the consensus looking for +0.3%.

The UK CPI not unexpectedly remained unchanged year on year at 3.1% due to the impact of higher food and clothing prices. The core rate which excludes food and energy actually increased year on year from +2.6% to +2.8%. There is still a good deal of uncertainty as to where prices are going short term although most continue to expect a gradual decline. The impact of the VAT hike at the beginning of next year may well delay further a move in the CPI to closer to the Bank of England targeted rate of 2%.


This morning we have had further evidence of slowdown in Europe with the publication of the German ZEW Economic Sentiment survey for September. The consensus was expecting it to fall to +10.0 from the previous reported level of +14.0. However, the actual number came out at -4.3, substantially below expectations. A negative number indicates that more investors now expect deterioration in economic conditions compared to those that expect conditions to improve.

We have also had Industrial Production numbers for Europe this morning which showed no changed month on month, perhaps again evidence that economic conditions in Europe are slowing down after the strong Q2 growth.

In the US today the much awaited retail sales data for August was a little better than expected. If you strip out the impact of auto sales the gain month on month was +0.6% compared o expectations of +0.3%. The back-to-school season will have no doubt played a part in the strength last month but once again the data is good enough at least to suggest that a recession is not imminent.

Look out tomorrow for the US Empire State Manufacturing Index for September. The market will want to see this number remaining in positive territory and further confirmation that the manufacturing sector is not falling off a cliff will be well received. A negative number will be taken badly especially given the more recent rally on the back of the better than expected ISM data.

The economic data is again likely to drive the market this week. World markets have opened in good shape this morning following completion of the Basel III agreement on minimum capital ratios. The required amounts are towards the lower end of expectations and are seen as achievable by most European banks which is why the sector has rallied this morning. We have also had Chinese Industrial Production numbers for August which was up 13.9% year on year, a little ahead of expectations and this has also helped sentiment this morning.


We have noticed that some brokers have started to tweak up their estimates for US Q3 GDP following the better than expected trade data for the US last week. Estimates are now closing in on +2%.

There is plenty in the economic calendar this week although today there is relatively little to focus on. The week really kicks off tomorrow with the publication of US retail sales for August. The consensus is looking for a +0.3% month on month improvement. The other US data due for publication tomorrow is business inventories for July with a +0.6% month on month gain expected.

In Europe, Tuesday brings the German ZEW Economic sentiment index for September. Expectations are for a drop to +10.0 from the previous reported level of +14.0. Given the slowdown indicated in recent data there is downside risk to this number in our view. Tomorrow we also get Eurozone Industrial Production for July with the consensus looking for a +0.2% improvement after the -0.1% drop the previous month. Finally, tomorrow the UK CPI for August is due for publication. The CPI has stayed stubbornly high during recent months and with concerns that food price inflation is starting to tick up there is a real risk that the UK CPI is going to remain well above target for longer than expected.

What will be of significant interest this week will be the two manufacturing reports due for publication in the US. On Wednesday we get the Empire State Manufacturing report for September. This measures manufacturing activity in New York State and this index did improve by 2 points last month to 7.0, but the new orders element fell into negative territory. The market will want to see this index remain in positive territory indicating growth and the consensus is looking for +5.0 for September. A negative number will be taken badly given the concerns over the manufacturing sector, although these were allayed to some extent with the better than expected ISM number at the beginning of the month. The second manufacturing report is for Philadelphia and that is due for publication on Thursday. The index for the previous month did actually decline to -7.7 from +4.1 which indicates contraction. The market is looking for this index to bounce back to around +4.0, but another negative number cannot be ruled out. If we do get gloomy manufacturing reports this week it may well prove to be the catalyst for at least some profit taking after the recent rally.

We will comment more on the rest of the data due out this week in the next Daily Briefing.

The market is awaiting the US employment data and the ISM Non Manufacturing Index this afternoon. After the ISM manufacturing index on Wednesday defied expectations with an increase over the month there has been a sudden shift in sentiment towards the bulls. Expectations for private payroll growth within the nonfarm payrolls currently stand at +40,000 which hasn’t changed since earlier in the week and that’s despite the poor showing from the ADP number on Wednesday. Undoubtedly a negative private payroll number today will be taken badly but anything positive may well be greeted with relief giving the market a further excuse to rally after the market decline in August. The headline nonfarm payroll figure will still be negative as the census workers roll off the register with expectations of a drop of around -100,000.


The ISM Non Manufacturing data due out this afternoon is very important indeed given that it covers around 90% of the US economy. Expectations for July are for a reading of 53.0 from the previous reported level of 54.3. Given recent economic indicators we would certainly expect a decline although we would have said the same of the manufacturing report earlier in the week. There is the potential for a surprise but more likely a modest decline in line with expectations.

Overall a lot rests on the data this afternoon and if at the very least the numbers are no worse than expectations we would expect to see the market continue its rally. However, we would not read too much into this and it is more likely to be short lived. The US recovery is far from out of the woods and Q3 GDP is still lining up to be worse than Q2. Based upon recent data such as the bad construction numbers announced for July and the downward revision to the June number we may yet see a further downward revision to Q2 US GDP and a very low Q3 number with some commentators still suggesting Q3 could be negative.

The European data we have had today is the August Services Purchasing Managers Index for Germany, the EuroZone and the UK. The Eurozone was a little above expectations whilst Germany and the UK showed declines over the month. Euro Zone retail sales have also been published for July and the number was slightly below expectations with a month on month increase of +0.1% compared to expectations of +0.2%.

The ISM manufacturing report in the US yesterday afternoon changed the market mood completely and all of a sudden there was a rush to buy risky assets pushing world markets up by well over 2%. The ISM reading came in at 56.3 against expectation of a fall to 53.0 from the previous monthly level of 55.5. However, the new orders and unfilled orders element of the index declined to their lowest level in many months. More recent data relating to the US manufacturing industry has pointed to quite a sharp slowdown in activity and it is difficult to see this index making any more progress from here. In fact yesterday’s data was almost a little deceptive in terms of what the underlying picture currently is.


The US ADP private payroll data was dire, bearing in mind that we are supposed to be in a stage of economic recovery. To lose a further 10,000 private payrolls when the US should in fact be creating 100,000+ at this time is not an indication that all is well. Also yesterday, US construction spending for July was announced and this fell by -1.0% compared to expectations of a -0.6% fall. The June level was revised to a decline of -0.8%, which is a reflection of the poor state of the US housing market. However, yesterday the market chose to focus on the positives and we now look to the Non Farm Payrolls and the ISM Non manufacturing data due out tomorrow. If both of these please the market we may well see markets push further ahead over the coming week, but conversely to that we may get a reality check instead.

This afternoon keep an eye out for the US weekly initial jobless claims. After the significant improvement last week to 473,000 from the terrible 504,000 posted the week before the market will at the very least be looking for claims to be hovering around the 470,000 mark. A shift back up towards 500,000 will not be taken well, but if we see further improvement that is likely to give the market a further boost this afternoon. Other data due out in the US today are factory orders for July with the consensus looking for a modest +0.3% gain following the -1.2% drop during the previous month.

In the UK today we have had further confirmation that the housing market is in decline with the Nationwide house price index falling by -0.9% during August. In Europe the estimate for Q2 European GDP was unrevised at 1.0%. The European Central Bank is meeting today to decide on interest rate policy. We can expect no change and realistically any rate increase is unlikely to come until well into 2011.

The first of the employment data in the US is due for publication today with the ADP private payrolls for August due shortly. With clear deterioration in the US employment picture during recent weeks expectations have fallen and the consensus is expecting private payrolls to show a figure of just +20,000 last month. This compares to the July number of +42,000. However, there is considerable uncertainty as to what the figure will be today and it is not inconceivable that no private payroll jobs have been created. Either way the ADP number today will give some indication of where the Non Farm Payroll number is heading on Friday.


Today in the US we also get the ISM Manufacturing Index for August. More recent manufacturing data has suggested a rather rapid slowdown in conditions within the US manufacturing sector and the ISM number today will reflect that. The consensus is expecting a figure of 53.0 after 55.5 last month but given the recent weakness there is in our view some downside risk to this number.

Other US data due for publication is construction spending for July with the consensus expecting a drop of -0.6% after the +0.1% gain in June.

In Europe today we have had the August Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index for the Euro zone and Germany which were broadly in line with expectations. The equivalent figure for the UK published today was a little less than expected at 54.3 compared to expectations of 57.0 after the July figure of 56.9. Overall, so far economic activity in Europe and the UK seems to be holding up a lot better than most feared although it is still early days given that the austerity measures and general fiscal squeeze are in the main yet to be felt.

The market is strong today after better than expected manufacturing data in China. The US economic data due out over the next couple of days will be crucial if the momentum is to be maintained.

This week presents us with a minefield of economic data, with the major ISM indices and the all important unemployment data in the US due for announcement.


We ended last week on a positive note with world markets rallying after the second estimate for Q2 US GDP was no worse than feared at +1.6%. Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke made comments in his speech on Friday at the Fed’s Jackson Hole retreat that the Fed is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep the recovery on track. However, he stopped far short of suggesting that any new measures were imminent and instead said additional measures would be used if “the outlook were to deteriorate significantly”. This does suggest that the Fed is not in any rush to address the ongoing US slowdown and in fact he believes that the preconditions are in place for a more vigorous recovery next year. The market will certainly be looking for more action sooner rather than later if the data this week provides more evidence of a rapid slowdown.

World markets this morning have opened in negative territory after the Dow slipped back last night following slightly disappointing personal income data although volumes in the US yesterday were very light.

Today in Europe the main economic data that has already been announced is German and European unemployment for August. Both were static with German unemployment at 7.6% and European at 10%. In the UK, July mortgage approvals have been announced and they were slightly higher than expectations although this does not change the short term outlook for declining house prices. The latest Home Track house price index was published over the weekend and that showed prices fell by -0.3% during August.

In the US today the main data announcement will be the Conference Board Consumer Sentiment index for August. The consensus is looking for 51.0 after the 50.4 registered in July. If the University of Michigan data is to serve as any guide it would seem that more recent sentiment data has stabilised and the risks of a miss do appear lower at present.

Also in the US today we get the latest FOMC meeting minutes. Given the recent comments from Fed members there are unlikely to be any surprises within this announcement.

After the market declines of last week world markets have today opened stronger and with little in the way of economic data due for publication the strength we are seeing this morning may well last into the afternoon trading session. The economic calendar is relatively busy after today and there will be plenty of data for the market to get its teeth into, especially in the US.


There is no economic data scheduled in the US today whilst in Europe we have had the August Purchasing Managers Index for Services and Manufacturing, both of which have come out a little lower than expectations.

Tomorrow we get June Industrial New Orders for the Euro zone and the main event will be the US existing home sales data for July. With the US economy already clearly in trouble, a collapsing property market will only compound the problem. The consensus is already expecting a significant decline on the last month’s figure of 5.37m units on an annualised basis to closer to 4.7m units. Given the impact that high unemployment is already having on US consumer sentiment, a poor housing market will only add to the US consumers’ woes and it is difficult at present to see any light at the end of the tunnel. Without healthy consumer spending the US economy has no hope of building the foundations for a sustainable recovery.

On Wednesday in the US we get more housing data with new home sales for July. The consensus is looking for a figure of around 340,000 annualised compared to the prior level of 330,000. Durable Goods orders for July are also due for publication on Wednesday with the consensus looking for a 2.5% increase after the -1.0% decline in June. In Europe on Wednesday the IFO Business Climate index is due for publication.

After the disastrous weekly initial jobless claims in the US last week, the market will be looking for a number lower than 500,000 on Thursday. If we see yet more deterioration in this data the market reaction will be very negative. If the 4 week moving average starts to close up on the 500,000 level the probability of a US double dip will increase significantly.

Friday is arguably the big data day this week. We get the second estimate for UK Q2 GDP which is expected to be unchanged on the first estimate of +1.1%. We also get the second estimate for Q2 US GDP. After the first estimate of +2.4%, expectations for the second reading have fallen quite dramatically with the consensus now looking for just +1.4%, although we feel if anything there is some downside risk to even that number. With so much US data now rolling over it is not inconceivable that the Q3 GDP will be a negative number.

We round the week off with the next dosage of US University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment data. The last reading was 69.6 and the consensus is looking for no change in the report this week. Under normal circumstances this index would be around the 90 mark under the conditions of economic recovery which does demonstrate just how far away we are from what could be considered to be a normal economic recovery.

With no major economic news due for publication in the US or Europe today, the market is still chewing on the dire US weekly initial jobless claims published yesterday. This was followed by an equally poor Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing index which fell into negative territory, signifying contraction in the manufacturing sector in the Philadelphia Fed area during August. This index was expected to show a modest improvement to 7 from the previous reported level of 5.1. In fact it declined to -7.7 and as with the equivalent Empire State Index earlier in the week the new orders part of the index fell over the month. The manufacturing sector during recent months has been one of the bright spots of the US economy which has helped to keep at least some of the momentum going in GDP growth. It is now clear that the peak in manufacturing has been reached and the momentum is being lost rapidly. The issue now is whether the slowdown in growth in the manufacturing sector is going to turn into a broad based contraction. The next ISM manufacturing index reading is undoubtedly going to show a further decline although we are unlikely to be at a point of outright contraction.


Next week could contain the catalyst for a further downward move in world equity markets when the second estimate for US Q2 GDP is published on Friday. Given that only a few weeks ago the consensus was expecting second half GDP growth of around 3%, we may already be faced with a Q2 revision that takes it below 2%, the first estimate was 2.4%. Some commentators are already considering the possibility of less than 1% growth during Q3 with an outside chance of a negative print. A move to less than 1% or even negative growth before the end of the year would almost certainly prompt a potentially significant market sell-off.

The main economic news of today has already been published in the form of dismal weekly initial jobless claims in the US. The number was 500,000 which does suggest that the employment situation in the US is starting to deteriorate yet again. If claims were to remain at or above this level for the next few weeks it is quite likely to result in a negative Non Farm Payroll figure the following month, and more importantly the risks of a US double dip will start to rise significantly.


Other data due for publication in the US today include the July Leading Indicator which is expected according to the consensus to show a 0.1% increase after a -0.2% drop last month. The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index for August is also due out this afternoon with the consensus looking for a small improvement to 7.0 from the July level of 5.1. This would be consistent with the equivalent Empire State Manufacturing index published earlier in the week.

In the UK the Public Sector Borrowing requirement for July was less than expectation at £3.8bn compared to expectations closer to £5bn. This is encouraging but the Chancellor has some way to go to bring the public finances under control. The results of the spending review will be completed sometime in October and with budget cuts of up to 25%, the real impact of the austerity measures is yet to be felt by the economy.

On a more positive note UK retail sales for July were better than expected at 1.1% compared to consensus expectations of +0.4% and the June figure of +0.7%.

A very quiet day ahead on the economic front. In the US there is no major data due for publication. In the UK the main event is the publication of the Bank of England meeting minutes and as expected the lone Hawk, Andrew Sentance has pushed for an interest rate hike to +0.75%, leaving the vote at 8-1 in favour of keeping interest rates where they are. Inflation in the UK is undoubtedly remaining stubbornly high and whilst the trend appears to be a slowing in the inflation rate it is likely to remain above target for some time to come. The July CPI published yesterday showed a modest decline to 3.1% annualised from 3.2% the previous month. With a vat hike due early next year and signs of some food price inflation starting to return there is a risk that inflation will not fall as expected. The Bank of England is taking the view that with so much spare capacity in the economy inflation will gradually return to target, but with the pace of decline incredibly slow and other shocks that may yet impact, concerns may soon start to increase.


The only data of note in Europe is construction output for June with the month on month rate coming in at a very healthy +2.7% compared to the May level of -0.7%. Spain was actually the star performer with a 7.2% jump after a -0.2% decline in May.

All eyes tomorrow will be on the weekly initial jobless claims in the US. After another bad number of 484,000 last week the market consensus has moved up to 480,000. A move above 500,000 would be significant especially if it were to remain above that level for more than a week or so.

A brief update today. The German economic sentiment index for August produced a lower reading than expected at 14.0 compared to consensus expectations of 20.6. This index is based upon the expectations of financial analysts and investors rather than a consumer driven index and the decline reflects the fact that most of the financial services industry is now expecting a slowing in the rate of growth we have seen over the last quarter in Europe.


The rest of the data due out today will be US based. We have already had housing starts which not unexpectedly were lower than expectations at 546,000 annualised compared to consensus expectations of 570,000 and 549,000 last time. The impact of the expiry of the stimulus package for the housing market is still being felt and a sustainable housing market recovery in the US still looks a long way off. The housing market index published yesterday fell for a third month in a row.

The US Producer Price Index for July has been published today and was broadly in line with expectations at +0.2% and the final major data of today which is due out later on is Industrial Production for July. Expectations are for an increase of +0.6% after a +0.1% increase last month.

The US manufacturing sector appears to still be in slowdown mode judging by the Empire State Manufacturing index yesterday. The headline number did increase modestly to 7.10 (consensus was looking for 8), but the major components of this index such as new orders continue to decline. The equivalent number for the August Philadelphia Fed Survey on Thursday will make interesting reading to see if the slowdown is broadly based.

World markets are rightly becoming increasingly nervous of the data emanating from the US. On Friday US retail sales disappointed. On the face of it the headline number of +0.4% for July was okay, but if you strip out gasoline and auto sales the number actually dipped by -0.1%. This is not the data you would expect from an economy on a sustainable path to recovery. The reality is very much different. We have already started to see some commentators talk of a revision to US Q2 GDP data to below 2% and some are already talking of flat to very modest Q3 GDP. Given that only a few weeks ago the consensus was talking about second half US GDP at 3%, times have changed rather rapidly and the risks that the slowdown turns into something worse remain material.


The economic data this week kicks off in the US with publication of the Empire State Manufacturing Index for Aug which is a monthly survey of manufacturers in New York State. This will make very interesting reading because of the rapid slowdown in the growth rate we have been seeing in the manufacturing sector. This index declined by 15 points to 5.08 last month and it was the start of several data sets that disappointed the market. The consensus is expecting the data this month to recover a little to 8.0 and whatever the number it will be looking for signs of stabilisation. A negative number suggesting contraction will not be taken well. We have the equivalent number for the Philadelphia Federal Reserve district on Thursday. This also declined last month to the level of 5.1 and the consensus is looking for 7.0 for August. Any suggestion that the US manufacturing sector is heading into a phase of contraction will not bode well for growth over the coming months.

The decline in the UK housing market appears to be picking up some momentum. According to the Right Move house price index published today, prices fell by 1.7% during August. In London, prices fell by a significant 4.1% during August which is the largest decline in 2 years. The UK housing market is undoubtedly overvalued. With the impact of low interest rates starting to fade as short term deals start to expire, and with the self certification market now non-existent, a lot of the recent supports are starting to disappear fast. We may well now be at the start of a prolonged downturn in the UK property market.

In Europe today we have had CPI data for July. The core rate excluding energy and food rose to 1% year on year compared to the 0.9% reported in June. The headline rate rose to 1.7% from 1.4%. Inflation pressures are still likely to remain relatively subdued due to the spare capacity in the Euro zone. However, the rise in the headline rate may start to raise some concerns that perhaps inflation over the near term could gather a little more momentum due to higher energy and food costs.

After a strong start world markets have slipped back into negative territory and the reason is fear over the data due for publication in the US this afternoon. After the poor initial weekly jobless numbers in the US yesterday which increased from to 484,000 from 479,000 last week, market fears over a growth relapse/double dip have increased, and they have every reason to. Given that the employment situation appears to again be deteriorating there is a good chance of disappointment from the retail sales numbers for July and the final July reading for the University of Michigan Consumer sentiment index due out later today. Retail sales for July according to the consensus are expected to show a modest 0.5% improvement during July compared to a -0.5% decline during June. Most confidence indicators have fallen back during recent weeks and the last reading for the University of Michigan series was 67.8 compared to 76.0 at the end of June. Expectations are for it to rise modestly to 69.0 but after more recent data, especially relating to the employment picture, a decline cannot be ruled out.


The good news of the day has come from Europe where Q2 GDP was +1% compared to the first quarter of just +0.2%. The consensus was looking for +0.5%. The same data for Germany has also been published confirming that Germany was the major powerhouse during Q2 with growth of +2.2% compared to +0.5% during Q1 whilst the consensus was looking for +1.3%. The weakness in the Euro will have certainly been to the benefit of the Euro zone during Q2 boosting external demand. With austerity measure yet to really bite and a slowdown in the US already underway this may well be as good as it gets this year.