Some positive news as retail sales exceeded expectations in May. The volume of retail sales grew by 2.1% between April and May, much stronger than market forecasts. Much of the improvement was driven by a rebound in food sales after the winter months.
In the Eurozone, the composite PMI reading rose to a fifteen month high in June as the pace of contraction eased in both the manufacturing and services sectors. This is the third consecutive monthly improvement in the survey.
More signs of recovery in the US as sales of previously owned homes rather than new build jumped to their highest level since November 2009. Purchases of existing homes increased to an annualised rate of 5.18 million in May, up from 4.97 million in the previous month.
We’re seeing a decline in growth in China with a reduction in both production and demand as the June PMI reading slipped to a nine month low of 48.3, down from 49.2 in the previous month.
The new exports component slipped to its lowest level since March 2009, while employment also softened to a ten month low.
The positive UK retail sales figures drove a recovery in Sterling with GBP/USD reaching a high of $1.5517 while GBP/EUR rose to €1.1740.
Posted in Daily Market News on May 30 2014
The Fed kept its asset purchases unchanged at $85 billion a month noting risks to the economy have now diminished considerably since the financial crisis. This is seen as an important signal that the FOMC will start considering a reduction in the pace of quantitative easing in the near future.
VIEW FULL ARTICLEPosted in Daily Market News on Jun 20 2013 by alex
Posted in Daily Market News on Jun 19 2013 by alex