Monthly Archives: March 2019

Macro Briefing: 6 March 2019

N. Korea is reportedly rebuilding key missile-test facilities: NY Times
Record number of migrant families arrested at US-Mexico border: WSJ
Trump is pushing negotiators for trade deal with China: Bloomberg
Global economic growth edged up in February: IHS Markit
OECD trims 2019 global economic growth forecast… again: Reuters
New home sales in US rebounded to 7-month high in December: CNBC
US ISM Non-Mfg Index posted strong growth in Feb: Logistics Mgt
US Services PMI: growth picked up to 7-month high in Feb: IHS Markit

Macro Briefing: 5 March 2019

Trump announces end of US preferential trade treatment for India: Reuters
China lowers 2019 growth target to 6%-6.5%: WSJ
House Democrats are conducting sweeping investigation of Trump world: CNN
Crisis is growing in Canadian Prime Minister’s Trudeau’s government: BBC
Eurozone PMI: sluggish economic growth edged up in February: IHS Markit
Sales of US light trucks and autos fell to 18-month low in January: Argus
10 years ago this week the market hit bottom during the Great Recession: CNBC
US construction spending 1-year growth rate fell to 7-year low in Dec:

Macro Briefing: 4 March 2019

US and China appear set for trade deal: Reuters
Will Friday’s US jobs report calm worries about the economy? CNBC
Eurozone Mfg PMI: sector contracted in Feb: IHS Markit
Global Mfg PMI dropped to 32-month low in Feb: IHS Markit
US personal income fell in Jan–first monthly loss in 3 years: CNBC
US Consumer Sentiment Index for Feb revised down: Bloomberg
US Mfg PMI dropped to 18-month low in Feb: IHS Markit
ISM Mfg Index for US in Feb eased to lowest print since Nov 2016: CNBC
Consumer spending in US fell sharply in Dec–biggest slide in 9 years: AP

Book Bits | 2 March 2019

Behavioral Finance:
What Everyone Needs to Know

By H. Kent Baker, et al.
Summary via publisher (Oxford University Press)
People tend to be penny wise and pound foolish and cry over spilt milk, even though we are taught to do neither. Focusing on the present at the expense of the future and basing decisions on lost value are two mistakes common to decision-making that are particularly costly in the world of finance. Behavioral Finance: What Everyone Needs to Know provides an overview of common shortcuts and mistakes people make in managing their finances. It covers the common cognitive biases or errors that occur when people are collecting, processing, and interpreting information. These include emotional biases and the influence of social factors, from culture to the behavior of one’s peers. These effects vary during one’s life, reflecting differences in due to age, experience, and gender.
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Macro Briefing: 1 March 2019

US officials preparing final trade deal for China: Bloomberg
US Senate may vote to block Trump’s emergency border declaration: Reuters
UN Sec. Counsel vetoes resolution for new presidential vote in Venezuela: CNN 
Eurozone mfg activity contracts in Feb for first time since 2013: IHS Markit
US GDP growth cooled for second straight quarter in 2018’s Q4: NY Times
Fed Chief Jerome Powell: US Economy ‘Is in a Good Place’: WSJ
US jobless claims rose more than expected last week: CNBC
Chicago area business activity surged surged to one-year high in Feb: Chicago PMI
Mfg activity was mostly flat in KC Fed district in Feb: KC Fed
10yr-2yr Treasury yield spread rises to year-to-date high of 21 basis points: