Recent Updates
- France: **France Wages and Earnings Rebased to Q2-2017=100**
- Turkey: IIP & Intl Reserves (Jul); South Africa: Retail Survey (Q4)
- Spain: Industrial Turnover & New Orders, Foreign Trade (Jul)
- Germany: Tourism Statistics, Hotel & Restaurant Turnover (Jul), Residential Construction Price Index (Q2)
- Estonia: Central Government Debt (Q2); Serbia: Central Bank Balance Sheet, Money Supply (Aug); Lithuania: IP (Aug); Russia: Poverty Indicators (Q2);Bulgaria: Labor Cost Index (Q2);
- more updates...
Economy in Brief
U.S. Leading Economic Indicators Increase
The Conference Board's Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased 0.4% (6.4% y/y)...
U.S. Existing Home Sales Hold Steady
The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes during August were unchanged at 5.340 million (SAAR, -1.5%)....
Philadelphia Fed Factory Conditions Improve; Prices Weaken Again
The Philadelphia Fed that its General Factory Sector Business Conditions Index rose to 22.9 during September...
U.S. Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance Edge Down Further
Initial unemployment insurance applications decreased to 201,000 (-21.2% y/y) during the week ended September 15...
U.S. Housing Starts Rebound After Two Months of Decline
New home building activity improved last month. Total housing
starts rose 9.2% during August (9.4% y/y)
Special Topics
by Robert Brusca August 5, 2008
Central banks are not having good luck with inflation. Of
course, critics will say that inflation fighting has little to do with
luck and that is true enough. The PPI is not a targeted rate by the ECB
so in some sense it can be anything and it doesn’t matter. But we know
it matters and that PPI prices feed into sectors and become costs for
consumer prices so a surging PPI is not good news at all.
| Euro Area and UK PPI Trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M/M | Saar | |||||
| Euro Area -13 | Jun-08 | May-08 | 3-Mo | 6-Mo | Yr/Yr | Y/Y Yr Ago |
| Total excl Constructions | 0.9% | 1.2% | 12.8% | 11.1% | 8.0% | 2.3% |
| Excl Energy | 0.4% | 0.3% | 4.4% | 5.5% | 4.0% | 3.1% |
| Capital Goods | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2.5% | 3.0% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| Consumer Goods | 0.2% | 0.1% | 2.1% | 3.6% | 4.5% | 1.6% |
| Intermediate & Capital Goods | 0.4% | 0.4% | 5.6% | 6.5% | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Energy | 2.7% | 4.1% | 41.9% | 29.9% | 21.4% | -0.5% |
| MFG | 0.7% | 1.3% | 11.0% | 9.5% | 6.9% | 2.6% |
| Germany | 0.9% | 1.0% | 12.5% | 10.9% | 6.7% | 1.7% |
| Excl Energy | 0.3% | 0.4% | 3.9% | 4.5% | 3.0% | 2.8% |
| France | 0.7% | 1.3% | 11.7% | 9.2% | 7.3% | 1.9% |
| Excl Energy | 0.4% | 0.3% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 2.6% |
| Italy | 0.8% | 1.5% | 11.1% | 10.8% | 8.2% | 2.7% |
| Excl Energy | 0.5% | 0.2% | 5.1% | 6.4% | 4.2% | 3.2% |
| UK | 2.0% | 2.6% | 32.2% | 22.0% | 19.5% | 1.2% |
| Excl Energy | 0.8% | 1.4% | 12.9% | 11.3% | 7.2% | 2.9% |
| Euro Area 13 Harmonized PPI excluding Construction | ||||||
| The EA 13 countries are Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia | ||||||
