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 [...]
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| Apr 27 2009IFO Is Up In Month Diffusion, Indices Gain Too
- 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 [...]
- Global| Apr 17 2009
EMU Trade Deficit Improves But Picture Does Not
Trends are getting worse. The EMU trade deficit improved in February on a tiny rise in exports as imports continued to drop. Even though both exports and imports put in an ‘improved performance’ in February compared to January the [...]
- Global| Apr 16 2009
E-Area IP Plunges
The chart above makes it clear that it is not the consumer sector that is leading IP lower in Europe. Capital goods and intermediate goods output are falling by 23% Year/Year compared to consumer goods output that is down by just [...]
- Global| Apr 15 2009
Japan's Retail Sales Drop
Japans economy continues to show the strains it is under as retail spending fell again in February. The 0.2% drop is a step-up from the 0.1% drop in January which comes on the heels of December’s 1.7% sales collapse. As a result of [...]
- Global| Apr 14 2009
French Exports And Imports Drop
Export and import growth trends in France continue to wither at very rapid rates. In February exports rose as imports fell by 0.2%. Still both exports and imports are dropping at better than a 33% annual rate over three months. The [...]
- Global| Apr 13 2009
OECD LEI's Are Sinking At The Fastest Pace In Over 40 Years
The OECD trend restored leading indicators show that a very deep recession is underway. The declines in the LEIs over 6-months are the most severe of the modern post-war period. The LEI declines are sharper than in either of the two [...]
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