U.S. Trade and China
June 10, 2009
The $29.16 billion deficit in April generated trade in goods and services was close to expectations and compares with a first-quarter average gap of $30.4 billion but a mean deficit of $61.2 billion in the first four months of 2008. The U.S. merchandise trade deficit on a census basis amounted to $144.0 billion in January-April, […] More
Canadian Trade Back In the Red
June 10, 2009
Canada recorded a C$ 179 million trade shortfall in April, a C$ 1.2 billion adverse swing from March. Energy commerce accounted for 72.2 % of that deterioration and for 58% of a C$ 5.1 billion deterioration from April 2008. Trade data continue to reflect a severe recession. In the nine months since July 2008, exports […] More
Idle Trucks
June 10, 2009
On my road trip over the weekend, I was struck by the fact that highway rest stops from New York to Maine continue to be full of idled trucks, a sign of weak commerce. Usually, one sees people activity at truck stops. Not this time. Just rows upon rows of parked ten-wheelers with no sign […] More
New Overnight Developments Abroad - Daily Update
Overnight Developments Abroad: Stocks Gain Strongly
June 10, 2009
Equity prices advanced 2.1% in Japan, 2.5% in Germany, 2.1% in France, 2.3% in Britain, 4.0% in Hong Kong, 3.1% in South Korea, 1.0% in China, 2.8% in Thailand, 1.7% in the Philippines, 2.3% in India, 2.3% in Australia and 1.6% in South Africa. Currency movements reflect a growing appetite for risk. The dollar rose […] More
New Overnight Developments Abroad - Daily Update
Selected Key Developments Since June 4th
June 10, 2009
The U.S. jobless rate increased by another half percentage point in May to 9.4%, most since August 1983. However, jobs fell 345K last month, much less than forecast, and the job losses for March and April were cut by a combined 82K to 578K per month. The Canadian labor survey yielded a 0.4 percentage point […] More
