2026 – Of Potatoes and Pitchforks

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...

Trump Eyes Boots On The Ground Along Hormuz Shoreline Several reports this week into Thursday say the Trump administration is quietly weighing a major escalation - potentially deploying thousands of additional troops to the Middle East as the White House struggles to map out an end game in Iran, according to Reuters. Interestingly, the Reuters report doesn't include the phrase that Trump strongly campaigned against: 'boots on the ground'. Instead the report framed things more simply as "US weighs military reinforcements as Iran war enters possible new phase." Are the American people being...