In recent months Italy’s business confidence has been chopping around its current level but this is now the lowest reading of this cycle. In May Euro-data both Italy and France scored order increases that were quite strong by the [...]
Introducing
Robert Brusca
in:Our Authors
Robert A. Brusca is Chief Economist of Fact and Opinion Economics, a consulting firm he founded in Manhattan. He has been an economist on Wall Street for over 25 years. He has visited central banking and large institutional clients in over 30 countries in his career as an economist. Mr. Brusca was a Divisional Research Chief at the Federal Reserve Bank of NY (Chief of the International Financial markets Division), a Fed Watcher at Irving Trust and Chief Economist at Nikko Securities International. He is widely quoted and appears in various media. Mr. Brusca holds an MA and Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University and a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan. His research pursues his strong interests in non aligned policy economics as well as international economics. FAO Economics’ research targets investors to assist them in making better investment decisions in stocks, bonds and in a variety of international assets. The company does not manage money and has no conflicts in giving economic advice.
Publications by Robert Brusca
Global| Jun 26 2008Italy’s Biz Confidence Drops; Resides in Bottom Third of its Range
- Global| Jun 26 2008
EMU Orders Post Surprising Strength in April
The pecking order is disturbed EMU orders are yet another example of enigmatic E-zone data. Country level performance is really uneven and this month the strongest economy (Germany) is showing the weakest results as EMU orders show [...]
- Global| Jun 26 2008
Italy: Retail Sales Follows Consumer Confidence Lower
Italy’s retail sales and consumer confidence are in sync or perhaps I should say ‘in sink’, since sinking it what they are both doing. Italy’s retail sales in real terms are falling at a 5.1% annual rate in 2008-Q1, that is one month [...]
- Global| Jun 25 2008
UK CBI Sales/Order Survey Improves Slightly but Still Shows Decline
The CBI net balance diffusion presentation of its survey shows that sales in June were not as weak compared to a year ago as they were in May. But at -9 the result was still in the bottom quartile of the survey’s range of experience [...]
- Global| Jun 25 2008
French Business Confidence is FLAT On the Month Outlook is Buoyant!
French business confidence in June is flat at its May level and is just above its long term average. As such it stands in the 58th percentile of its range in June. Orders, both domestic and foreign, slipped in the month but the two [...]
- Global| Jun 24 2008
Italy's Consumer Confidence Backs Off Again
Consumer confidence in Italy in June fell back to a raw reading of 100 after its unexpected spurt to 103.2 in May. As a result it is back near its April level of 99 and ensconced at a range percentile reading of 9.8. That is the [...]
- Global| Jun 24 2008
IFO Business Sentiment Reading is Still Sinking
At the crossroads The IFO business sentiment reading made a deeper Yr/Yr drop in June than in May. It has slipped to the 68th percentile of its range of values (range from 1992 to date). The current situation is not as glum a reading [...]
- Global| Jun 23 2008
PPI Pressures Begin to Spread in Germany
Price trends deteriorate Manufacturing prices were up strongly in May. All major divisions of the PPI are showing some pressure even capital goods inflation is rising. Core PPI prices are up by 2.9% Yr/Yr and at a faster paced 3.6% [...]
- Global| Jun 19 2008
UK Retail Sales Surge in 22-Yr High Gain
Retail sales surged by 4% in May marking the strongest gain in 22 years. Economists’ estimates had looked for sales to drop slightly. The gain has flummoxed observers who are not quite sure what to make of the new developing trend. [...]
- Global| Jun 19 2008
All Industry Index Advances and Shows Resilience
Japan’s all-industry index was up sharply in April and stands in the 92nd percentile of its range of values since 1993. Construction is about at weak as the all industry index is strong standing in the bottom 2% of its range. The all- [...]
- Global| Jun 18 2008
Japan’s LEI - Unrevised but Still Downbeat
Japan’s LEI was unrevised in April but continues to fall at an accelerating pace. Over 12-mos the index fell at a 5.7% pace, over six-months the rate of decline is at a rate of 6.9% and over the recent three months ended in April the [...]
- Global| Jun 18 2008
UK Prices Pressures Mount for Industry
UK orders snapped back to a thin +1 reading for June after -10 net balance reading in May and a deeper decline for April. But the story is that price pressures continue to rage at intense levels at a +28 reading for the July-Sep [...]
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