US Leading Economic Index® forecast revised down

Oct 21, 2015 03:28 am UTC| Commentary

The Census Bureau reported earlier this morning that, in U.S., total building permits fell 5.0% m/m in September to 1.103mn, down more sharply than expected. The drop was driven by multifamily permits (-14.6% m/m),...

U.S. growth likely getting good support from consumer and housing sector

Oct 21, 2015 03:25 am UTC| Commentary

U.S. housing starts blew past expectations in September, surging 6.5% to 1,206,000 units annualized. Thats the highest level since June and the second highest since October 2007 and that, in itself, dismisses the slight...

Bar is high for sustained EUR downside

Oct 21, 2015 03:21 am UTC| Commentary

Since the last ECB meeting in early September, EUR is over 1.5% higher on a tradeweighted basis. Indeed, the close on 3 September marked the most recent low in the TWI following a dovish message by Draghi at the press...

The more the ECB waits, the more it will need to give

Oct 21, 2015 03:19 am UTC| Commentary Central Banks

The more the ECB waits, the more it will have to do to convince the market it can deliver on its price stability objective. QE2 is increasingly consensual among commentators, and market expectations for a decisive further...

Asian shares rise, with Japan leading after trade data

Oct 21, 2015 03:07 am UTC| Commentary

Asian markets were trading broadly higher on Wednesday morning, with Japanese stocks gaining the most even after September trade figures disappointed. Japans benchmark Nikkei 225 index rallied 0.75% to 18,343.84 points...

No one is happier with the Fed in limbo than home builders

Oct 21, 2015 02:15 am UTC| Commentary Central Banks

No one is happier with the Fed in limbo - and 10Y Treasury yields back at 2.05% - than home builders. The NAHB index of builder sentiment is now up to 64, its highest since October 2005, three months after the peak of the...

A rebound in Thailand's private consumption may take time

Oct 21, 2015 01:53 am UTC| Commentary Economy

Households de-leveraging continues, even if there are some early signs that household loan growth might be stabilizing circa 6% (YoY). The loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) also looks to have stabilized right now, just below...