DATA FLASH: LACK OF DEMAND KEEPS US HOME BUILDING DEPRESSED
By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) -The U.S. April home building data, released Tuesday, reflected the lack of buyer traffic and reduced demand that has been in place since mid-March, even as mortgage rates remain near record lows. Construction was labeled as an essential business in most states during the social distancing shutdowns, but without demand […]
ZEW GERMAN EXPECTATIONS INDEX RISES AS INVESTORS SEE RECOVERY IN 2H
By Marco Babic VIENNA (MaceNews) – Expectations for Germany’s economy improved in May, rising to a reading of 51.0 from 28.2 the previous month while the assessment of current conditions fell slightly to -93.5 from -91.5, the ZEW institute said Tuesday. Markets were expecting the ZEW expectations index at about 33.5, and the current conditions […]
WHITE HOUSE WATCH: VACCINE BREAKTHROUGH AND THE STEALTH VIRUS TASK FORCE
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – There were clues Monday that the White House Corona Virus Task Force still exists, a sighting of two of its members and the disclosure by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin that he will attend Task Force meetings this week. Otherwise there was no sign of the NIH’s Tony Fauci nor […]
WHITE HOUSE WATCH COMMENTARY: SOMETHING WORSE THAN EITHER SIDE WINNING?
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – All eyes are now on the 2020 presidential election – the words every day from every cable network and, from time to time, maybe the question should be raised, why? First, back to headquarters for late breaking virus news, like the CBS “60 Minutes” interview with Federal Reserve Chair […]
DATA PREVIEW: FEWER DATA POINTS IN THE MAY 18 WEEK, BUT NOT LESS NEGATIVITY
By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – After an overflow of data Friday, there is a breather coming in the May 18 week, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be anything for markets and analysts to focus on. Housing data takes up much of the schedule, starting with the National Association of Home Builders’ Housing Market […]
DATA FLASH: US APRIL RETAIL SALES DOWN 16.4% AS CRISIS CONTINUED
–Non-store Retail Sales Rose 8.4%, Other Categories Down–Empire State Index Rose to -48.5 in May from -78.2 in April–Industrial Production -11.2%, Manufacturing -13.7% on Vehicles By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Social distancing continued in April, cutting further in almost every retail sale category, data released Friday morning showed. At the same time, industrial production […]
WHITE HOUSE WATCH COMMENTARY: THE TRUTH ABOUT DR BRIGHT AND THE PRESIDENT
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – When Jack Nicholson ad-libbed, “You can’t handle the truth” in that 1992 movie it became one of those phrases that assumed a life of its own, used long after in contexts far removed from the original plot. The Nicholson character’s truth proved to be irrelevant, part of a strident […]
BANK OF CANADA: FIN SYSTEM ‘RESILIENT,’ COPING W/ COVID-19, OIL SHOCKS
NEW YORK (MaceNews) – Canada’s financial system “remains resilient” in the face of Covid-19 and the oil price shock, with support from Bank of Canada policy, and strong private capital and liquidity buffers, even as the economic outlook remains uncertain, the bank said Thursday. “Strong policies have put a floor under the economy and laid […]
DATA FLASH: US INITIAL CLAIMS DIP; 36.5 MLN SINCE MID-MARCH
–Initial Claims Fall 195,000 to 2.981 Mln; Signs Backlogs Winding Down–Import Prices Fall 2.6% in April; Still Down 0.5% Excluding Fuels By Kevin Kastner WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The rate of initial claims growth slowed further in the May 9 week as backlogs are worked down, but there is no indication that the number of people […]
FED’S POWELL WARNS OF DANGERS OF LONG SHALLOW RECOVERY
–Emergency Aid So Far May Be Only the Beginning –‘Recovery May Take Some Time to Gather Momentum’ — ‘Additional Fiscal Support Could Be Costly’ –Negative Rates ‘Not Something That We’re Looking At.” By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The battle of recovery narratives – swift and sharp versus shallow and long – Wednesday saw one […]