German industrial production halted its string of six consecutive declines with a flat result in March. Over three months the negative growth rate for IP has flattened but at a still horrific -33% (saar). Ironically, the capital goods [...]
Introducing
Robert Brusca
in:Our Authors
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.
Publications by Robert Brusca
Global| May 06 2009German Industrial Output Halts Its Strong Of Declines
- Global| May 05 2009
Sharp, Widespread, PPI Drop Puts ECB On The Spot For A Rate Cut
The PPI is not the ECB’s mandated inflation variable. The central bank prefers the broader consumer-based HICP. But the drop in the PPI excluding construction at -0.8% in March, at -10.5% over three months (saar), at -12.3% over 6 [...]
- Global| May 04 2009
Europe Begins to Cut Its Losses
Europe’s PMI readings bounced sharply in April across EMU nations. France made the second largest monthly rise at 3.59 points just above the UK’s 3.35 point gain. From its cycle low, the UK has made the greatest gain rising by 8 [...]
- Global| Apr 30 2009
Japan IP Slows Its Rate Of Decline... In Monthly Trends Only
There is actually a bounce in output in Japan this month as over MFG output rose by 1.6% in March. That bounce reduced the annual rate of decline of Japan’s output to a pace of -53.1% over three-months. So while the monthly gain seems [...]
- Global| Apr 28 2009
Japan Retail Sales Continue to Drop
The Year-over-year the drop in Japan’s retail sales is worsening. But overall seasonally adjusted sales while down by a sharp 1.1% m/m in March are not accelerating their drop over three months compared to six months. The 5.6% annual [...]
- Global| Apr 27 2009
IFO Is Up In Month Diffusion, Indices Gain Too
The IFO index in German rose in April sparking some optimism that the index has made its financial cycle low. Sectors are improving across the board. MFG improved forma diffusion reading of -42.9 to -38. Wholesaling improved to -30.6 [...]
- Global| Apr 27 2009
Consumer Confidence Improves Sharply In Italy
The consumer confidence reading for Italy has been weak in this cycle but not quite as weak as it was in the previous two downturns in the early 1980s and early 1990s. Despite the bad press this business cycle keeps getting, in Italy [...]
- Global| Apr 23 2009
E- Area PMIs Are Still Low-Valued But Jump
The PMI’s for the zone are up sharply in April. At 36.33 the MFG PMI is still in the lower 11 percentile of its range. The services reading at 43.10 is in the lower 16 percentile of its range. These are weak positions that speak of a [...]
- Global| Apr 23 2009
E- Area PMIs Are Still Low-Valued But Jump
The PMI’s for the zone are up sharply in April. At 36.33 the MFG PMI is still in the lower 11 percentile of its range. The services reading at 43.10 is in the lower 16 percentile of its range. These are weak positions that speak of a [...]
- Global| Apr 22 2009
UK Unemployment Continues To Soar (Sour)
The UK claimant count and the unemployment rate continue to spurt higher. The count is the highest since the late 1990s (August 1998, for the percentage rate). Unemployment is skyrocketing. The number of unemployed persons rose m/m by [...]
- Global| Apr 22 2009
UK Unemployment Continues To Soar (Sour)
The UK claimant count and the unemployment rate continue to spurt higher. The count is the highest since the late 1990s (August 1998, for the percentage rate). Unemployment is skyrocketing. The number of unemployed persons rose m/m by [...]
- Global| Apr 20 2009
French and Italian Orders: Some Divergence Between These Siamese Twins
European orders are still on bad trends. But France is showing some life in February. As life signs go it’s still a weak vital sign despite its apparent vigor. Orders did jump by 5.2% in nominal terms in February, just one month after [...]
- of350Go to 287 page