Germany’s IFO index has dropped sharply in March to 102.4 from 104.8. Its current conditions index fell to 109.4 from 111.5. The April expectations index moved lower to 96.8 from 98.4. On a Yr/Yr basis the percentage declines in the [...]
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 24 2008IFO Weakness: A New Trend Lower or a ‘Mild’ Offset to a Spurious Jump?
- Global| Apr 23 2008
Euro Area Orders Stabilize: A Leading or Misleading Statistic?
What is for real and what is whistling past the graveyard? Tangled trends Euro Area orders are up in February, making it a two-month gain following a dive in December. Still the 3-month growth rate is negative for orders at a -3.9% [...]
- Global| Apr 23 2008
Italy’s Retail Sales Growth Remains Stunted
Italy’s retail sales rose by 0.3% in nominal terms in February. Nominal growth in retail sales shows some pick up as the overall three month growth rate has improved. But this is an inflation effect. When we deflate nominal retail [...]
- Global| Apr 23 2008
Belgian National Bank Index Signals Euro-Trouble Ahead
BNB index is a harbinger for the Euro-Area: The BNB index has plunged sharply in April. This early read on Euro Area health in April has been a GOOD SOLID barometer of what the larger and geographically linked key EMU economies will [...]
- Global| Apr 21 2008
Japan MFG and Services Indices Diverge
Japan’s MFG and services sectors diverged in February. The MFG index stands at its highest level since 1993 and in growth terms (chart) it is accelerating to a more midrange value. The services sector (Japan’s tertiary Index) has, [...]
- Global| Apr 18 2008
German PPI Spurts in March
Germany’s manufacturing PPI surged by 0.5% in March elevating the 12-month inflation rate to 4.2% and keeping inflation accelerating from 12 months to three months, as the three-month rate climbed to 6.4% (saar). Ex-energy the [...]
- Global| Apr 18 2008
German PPI Spurts in March
Germany’s manufacturing PPI surged by 0.5% in March elevating the 12-month inflation rate to 4.2% and keeping inflation accelerating from 12 months to three months, as the three-month rate climbed to 6.4% (saar). Ex-energy the [...]
- Global| Apr 17 2008
Japan's IP is Revised Sharply Higher: Still Growth Trends are Mixed
Japan's February industrial production was revised up sharply using a new data formula. Production is now in line with Japan’s strong exports, solving one of the puzzles about the economy for the Bank of Japan. Industrial production [...]
- Global| Apr 17 2008
EMU Trade Deficit Shoots Back Into Surplus
The Euro Area is not going to make it easy for us to understand it. After two months of deficits, the trade surplus is back. Imports fell across the board in February paving the way for the trade improvement. Both export and import [...]
- Global| Apr 16 2008
Already High, Euro Area Inflation is Revised Up
Euro Area inflation was revised higher in March and now is expanding at a 3.6% annual rate, not quite as fast as the universe, but fast enough to create a gnashing of teeth at the ECB. Yesterday, Juergen Stark of the ECB said that [...]
- Global| Apr 15 2008
U.K. RICS Survey at All-time Low for House Prices
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' (RICS) said that 78.5% more surveyors reported a fall than a rise in house prices in March. This was the weakest reading since RICS began the survey back in 1978. Since 1999 new sales [...]
- Global| Apr 14 2008
UK PPI Prices Soar in March
UK producer prices spurted in March with the headline rate rising to a 17 year high at 6.2% Yr/Yr. Core as headline prices continued to move up and do so in the wake of a BOE rate cut. National Statistics said that the BOE did not [...]
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