
Flash PMIs Are Mixed

PMI data show broad improvement month-to-month with the manufacturing readings improving in all reporting units except Australia and France.
Service sectors weakened in France, India, and the United States in June.
Only the US and France showed a lower composite index reading in June than in May.
The unweighted composite average of this reporting group of eight shows a steady improvement in the composite from April to May to June. The manufacturing PMI improved from April to May and then held there in June. The average service sector reading improved steadily from April to May to June.
The sequential patterns from 12-months to 6-months to 3- months on hard historic data show that over three months the composite indexes were weaker monthly in four reporting units. Four manufacturing readings were weaker over three months than they were over six months. And six service sectors were weaker over three months compared to six-months.
Over six months six service sector measures weakened compared to their 12-month values. This helped five composite indexes to weaken on the same timeline. Six manufacturing sectors’ gauges improved over six months compared to 12-months.
Compared to 12-months ago, the 12-month average for this month improved for all manufacturing sectors. Three service sectors weakened compared to their averages of 12-months earlier and two composite indicators- in the United Kingdom and in Japan were weaker over 12 months on average than for their average of 12-months ago.
Germany and the EMU show steady improvement in their respective composites over 12 months and for 6-months compared to 12-months and 3-months compared to 6-months. Their manufacturing sectors also were improved on this timeline as was the manufacturing sector in Australia.
No service sector was sequentially stronger in these periods, but the U.K. service sector did get sequentially weaker over 12 months, 6 months, and 3 months.
India and Australia have sector ranking data above their respective medians (ranks of over 50%) for all three sector queue rankings. Japan and Germany each have two sectors ranked above 50%: manufacturing and the composite.
The unweighted average PMI reading from 12-months to 6-months to 3-months shows a relatively flat and stable set of PMI readings while manufacturing PMI readings are improving. But the services readings show a slight deflation in their sequential progression. However, services readings for all horizons show growth, manufacturing shows slight contraction, and composite indexes show modest continuing expansion.

Robert Brusca
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Robert A. Brusca is Chief Economist of Fact and Opinion Economics, a consulting firm he founded in Manhattan. He has been an economist on Wall Street for over 25 years. He has visited central banking and large institutional clients in over 30 countries in his career as an economist. Mr. Brusca was a Divisional Research Chief at the Federal Reserve Bank of NY (Chief of the International Financial markets Division), a Fed Watcher at Irving Trust and Chief Economist at Nikko Securities International. He is widely quoted and appears in various media. Mr. Brusca holds an MA and Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University and a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan. His research pursues his strong interests in non aligned policy economics as well as international economics. FAO Economics’ research targets investors to assist them in making better investment decisions in stocks, bonds and in a variety of international assets. The company does not manage money and has no conflicts in giving economic advice.