Datastream Chart Blog

May’s industrial production fell 4.3 percent from a year earlier, more than the 3.3 percent decline predicted in the Reuters poll. Analyst forecasts ranged from a contraction of 2.2 percent to 4.3 percent. Reuters story Refresh chart   Edit chart  

The first half of 2012 is over – and the risk on/risk off trade is still alive and well. There’s nothing like a spot of volatility to keep investors on their toes. June was marked by a continuation of the markets’ recent obsession with events in Europe, but with a greater dose of unpredictability, both [...]

The Markit/CIPS Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) sank to 48.2 from 54.4 in May, it’s lowest reading since December 2009 and falling below the 50 level which separates growth from contraction and missing forecasts for a more modest fall to 53.0. Refresh chart  Edit chart

The Institute for Supply Management said its index of national factory activity fell to 49.7 from 53.5 the month before, missing expectations of 52.0, according to a Reuters poll of economists, and below even the lowest forecast of 50.5. Refresh chart  Edit chart New orders dropped to their lowest level since April 2009: Refresh chart [...]

The EU summit boosts markets — now they await a second piece of positive news in the form of a new ECB interest rate cut this week. A month of turbulence in Europe concluded with a summit of European Union leaders. Given that expectations for the meeting were very low, financial markets interpreted the fact [...]

Bank investors prize ROE as a measure of how well a financial institution uses its capital to generate profits – but industry-wide, ROE now is at levels once thought unimaginable. Is the right approach taking on more risk, or going back to basics? Large global financial institutions and their CEOs might be forgiven for indulging [...]

Can monetary union survive in Europe without some form of fiscal union or other closer integration of the region’s government finances? Increasingly, as borrowing costs in Spain and Italy soar towards and past the 6% mark and as Greece’s newly-elected leaders have promptly begun to demand an easing of the terms and conditions associated with [...]

The plunge in commodity prices eases one concern for monetary policymakers worldwide — but leaves them trying to walk the narrow line between slow-growth and deflation, and may leave stocks struggling. One of the biggest pieces of good news for policymakers worldwide this year has come in the shape of the sharp decline in commodity [...]

Crude oil prices are falling; stockpiles are rising. Is the economy really so troubled, or are energy markets recovering from excessive speculation and reacting to oversupply woes? Crude oil prices hit their lowest levels since late 2011 yesterday, with West Texas Intermediate falling below last October’s levels to hit $78.20 a barrel, down 4%. Brent [...]

Europe needs more than patchwork solutions to a systemic crisis; developing real solutions to the eurozone’s woes will be politically tricky, but the success of leaders in this endeavor will shape the direction of financial markets and the future of the eurozone. The drama surrounding the Greek election is over, and the victors have managed [...]