Chicago PMI : A major gauge of U.S. business activity in January contracts for the first time since April 2003  31/01/2007

A gauge of U.S. business activity in January unexpectedly pointed to a contraction for the first time since April 2003 as new orders fell.

The National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said today its business barometer fell to 48.8 this month from 51.6 in December. A reading lower than 50 signals contraction.

Companies have restrained production and postponed purchases of equipment as they worked off stockpiles built up last year. The Chicago area has been harder hit than most regions by cutbacks at automakers including Ford Motor Co.

``The trend in manufacturing is to go lower and has been that way over the last year,'' said Chris Low, chief economist at FTN Financial in New York. ``Chicago is heavily invested in autos and we know they've had some inventory adjustment there.'' ...

Read
Bloomberg

GEAB N°65 - Contents

- Published on May 16, 2012 -

Global systemic crisis / Second half of 2012 – Convergence of four explosive factors: Banks-Stock Exchanges-Pensions-Debts
Whilst waiting for Euroland to equip itself, by the end of 2012, with a medium to long term common political, economic and social project, especially following the election of the new French president François Hollande, anticipated many months ago by LEAP/E2020, players will remain prisoners of the short-term reflexes related to the sudden Greek political tremors, the uncertainties over Euroland governance and to the risks in public debts… (page 2)
Read public announcement

Which languages must your child learn to be useful to him in twenty years ? Anticipation of the principal intra-European and world common languages in a 2030 timframe
Beyond its cultural interest LEAP/E2020 has created this anticipation as a tool to aid decision-making, individual (parents for the education of their children) as much as collective (public education institutions, universities, states, international businesses). Individual and joint strategies as regards language teaching are long term processes needing fundamental choices to be made almost a generation in advance… (page 11)
Subscribe

Strategic and operational recommendations
. Currencies-Gold: Stay on course
. Pensions: Preserving one’s capital
. Stock Exchanges: Last exit before chaos
. Banks: Maximum distrust
. Government bonds: The trap is closing (page 21)
Subscribe

The GlobalEurometre - Results & Analysis
The majority of respondents believing that their country’s major banks could go bankrupt by the end of 2012 has risen to 66% this month (versus 61% last month)… (page 23)
Subscribe