● US private-sector job growth accelerated in June via ADP’s estimate…
● As US factory activity rose to a 5-month high in June…
● US construction spending reached a post-recession high in May…
● While mortgage applications in the US fell 4.7% last week…
● Global manufacturing growth eased closer to a 2-year low in June…
● And the Greek crisis lingers as uncertainty and confusion reign supreme with no resolution in sight.

Private nonfarm payrolls in the US are projected to increase by 211,000 (seasonally adjusted) in tomorrow’s update for June from the Labor Department, based on The Capital Spectator’s average point forecast for several econometric estimates. The prediction reflects a substantially lesser gain vs. the 262,000 advance in May.
Continue reading →

The markets staggered to the year’s midpoint with a thud, with most of the major asset classes suffering losses in June. The exception: broadly defined commodities (Bloomberg Commodity Index), which posted a modest 1.7% gain last month. The rest of the field was either flat or (in most cases) in the red. The big loser: US real estate investment trusts (REITs), which shed a hefty 4.6% in June, based on the MSCI REIT Index, leaving this measure of securitized real estate off by more than 6% so far in 2015.
Continue reading →

● Greece in default as eurozone set to discuss new bailout proposal…
● US consumer confidence rises in June, beats forecasts…
● US S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index annual pace eases to 4.2% gain in April…
● PMI: Initial estimate of euro area manufacturing growth in June confirmed…
● As China’s manufacturing activity posts slight improvement in June.