luni, 22 aprilie 2013

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis


China PMI barely Above Contraction; Chinese Stocks Slump as Manufacturing Slows

Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:10 PM PDT

Bloomberg reports Chinese Stocks Slump Most in Three Weeks as Manufacturing Slows
China's stocks fell, dragging the benchmark index down the most in three weeks, as data showed the country's manufacturing growing at a slower pace.

The Shanghai Composite has slumped 9.7 percent from a Feb. 6 high, on concern slowing growth will hurt earnings. China's economy expanded 7.7 percent in the first quarter, missing estimates, as industrial production and fixed-asset investments in March fell short of forecasts. Rising Chinese home prices may limit scope for stimulus as President Xi Jinping seeks to prevent a real-estate bubble.

"This has been a very narrowly based recovery, predominantly driven by infrastructure investment, but now even infrastructure investment is also apparently slowing down," said Tao Dong, head of Asia economics excluding Japan at Credit Suisse Group AG in Hong Kong.
China PMI barely Above Contraction

As I have said on numerous occasions, China's infrastructure build-out is both ridiculous and unsustainable. Yet that does not stop for one second the cheerleading.

For example please consider the Markit report headline for China Manufacturing that shows Operating conditions improve marginally in April



It is really tough to spin that stagnation, assuming you even believe it (I don't), into something positive. Hongbin Qu, Chief Economist, China & Co-Head of Asian Economic Research at HSBC managed to do just that.

Qu stated "The HSBC Flash China Manufacturing PMI came in at a two-month low, but still managed to expand modestly in April, albeit at a much slower pace. However, new export orders contracted after a temporary rebound in March, suggesting external demand for China's exporters remains weak. Weaker overall demand has also started to weigh on employment in the manufacturing sector. Beijing is expected to respond strongly to sustain the economic recovery by increasing efforts to boost domestic investment and consumption in the coming months."

Really?

50.5 is "modest expansion"?! Would 49.5 have been "modest contraction?"

Let's at least be honest about this. At best China is stagnating and this is in spite of an unwarranted and unsustainable infrastructure build-out.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

A Brief Lesson in History: Video of Mish Presentation at the Wine Country Conference

Posted: 22 Apr 2013 10:31 AM PDT

My speech, "A Brief Lesson in History", is available at Wine Country Conference Speaker Presentations.

The videos are the actual presentations, and we are making a couple of them available each week for three weeks.

John Hussman's presentation "An Unstable Equilibrium" was posted last week.

Speaker presentation material, Yahoo! Finance media interviews, and associated articles on Advisor Perspectives are now available online at Wine Country Conference Speaker Slides.

If you enjoy the videos and slides please consider making a Donation to the Les Turner ALS Foundation. Specify "Mish Campaign" on the donation to earmark funds for research.

All told, we raised nearly $500,000 for ALS research, subject to final audit. $100,000 of that came from a very generous matching donation from the Hussman Foundation.

Thanks again for a successful 2013 WCC and we look forward to many more! The 2014 conference will raise money for autism research and programs.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Damn Cool Pics

Damn Cool Pics


Everyday Objects As Bongs

Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:42 PM PDT

Sometimes you need to get resourceful.






































1950's Mountain Dew Can

Posted: 22 Apr 2013 10:30 AM PDT

So cool.









Bad Kisses

Posted: 22 Apr 2013 10:03 AM PDT

Bad and awkward kisses.






































Photos Tourists Must Stop Taking

Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:24 AM PDT

I got none of these.

Kissing the Sphinx


Falling into the Grand Canyon


Fondling the Wall Street Bull


Blending in with the Terracotta Warriors


Doing the Rocky Balboa


Pinching the Taj Mahal


Mimicking Christ the Redeemer


Using a British phone booth


Rubbing Buddha's belly


Imitating the Royal Guard


Posing like the Statue of Liberty


Treating the Washington Monument like a penis


This goes for ladies too.


Walking across Abbey Road


Holding up the leaning Tower of Pisa


"Walking like an Egyptian"


Eiffel-towering at the Eiffel Tower


Happy National Park Week! [Infographic]

Posted: 22 Apr 2013 08:52 AM PDT

In honor of National Park Week, we wanted to share a number of fun facts with you. For instance, did you know that all national parks have free admission April 22-26 for National Park Week? Take advantage of this great opportunity to experience some of the country's most exhilarating parks and wildlife. And don't forget to support your national parks!

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Via nationalparks.org