The end of the summer is in sight. How’d that happen? Hmmm… maybe my calendar’s slow. Oh, well, no time to waste. Your editor’s playing hooky for rest of the week to cash in on the waning days of August. The daily grind resumes on Monday, August 24. Cheers!

Recession risk in the US remained low in the kick-off month for the third quarter, based on a broad set of economic and financial indicators. Although economic growth remains modest, the available data through July suggests that the broad macro trend was still firmly positive.
Continue reading →

● US housing starts near 8-year high in July
● Redbook: US retail sales higher in first half of August
● Oil’s bear market rolls on as Opec plans to keep pumping
● China’s equity market remains volatile after currency devaluation
● Eurozone current account in June rises for first time in 5 months
● Japan’s department-store spending in July rises for fourth straight month
● Japan’s trade deficit widens, exports slow in July