The purpose of this bulletin is simple to state - trying to keep you abreast of what's happening in unexpectedly positive or negative ways in the data from the world's major economies.
Today I focus on the disinflationary forces showing across the globe, and particularly in Asia's CPI and PPI results. This disinflationary is almost solely the result of falling oil prices, which is the combined result of a very high base of comparison in April-May 2019 and the collapse in prices owing to coronavirus. Both factors are now coming off, and so disinflationary forces will wane obviously in the second half of the year.
I also note the rise in S Korea's May unemployment rate, but attribute it to people coming back into the workforce en masse as coronavirus retreats. In fact, employment rose quite sharply in May.
In the US, I note the sharp fall in April's freight transport services index - the worst since 2009 - a clear signal about weakness in the industrial and construction sectors.
In Europe, I trace the implications of yesterdays 1Q Eurozone GDP breakdown to calculate Kalecki profits: I estimate they were down 12.7% qoq and fell 9.1% yoy to the lowest profits/GDP that I've come across.
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