The Sy Hersh effect: killing the messenger, ignoring the message

Weather & Weak Demand Drive US PMIs Down To 10-Month Lows In February, But... While 'hard' data has been fading modestly in recent weeks, 'soft' survey data has bounced back but today we get a first glimpse at February's PMIs from S&P Global to see if that survey-based confidence is continuing. It is not as both Manufacturing and Services PMIs dropped notably., Flash US Services PMI Business Activity Index: 52.3 (January: 52.7). 10-month low. Flash US Manufacturing PMI: 51.2 (January: 52.4). 7-month low.    Source: Bloomberg Overall that dragged the US Composite PMI down...

The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed new Iran-related sanctions, a day before US and Iranian officials will meet for another round of talks in Geneva amid the major US military buildup in the Middle East. The Treasury Department said that it imposed sanctions on more than 30 sanctions on individuals, entities, and vessels accused of […]

Economic Sentiment Belies Strong Economic Estimates Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, Economic growth metrics for the United States have recently shown surprising resilience; however, consumers’ economic sentiment has not. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s advance estimate, real Gross Domestic Product expanded at an annualized rate of just 1.4%, well below expectations and a steep drop from the 4.4% pace in the third quarter. However, the record-long federal government shutdown, which ran from October 1 through November 12, subtracted roughly 1 full percentage point from growth, as federal outlays plunged...