by David Kranzler
Investment Research Dynamics
Actual Monthly Change in August Payrolls Likely Was a Contraction – Though Bloated by Seasonal-Factor Distortions and Add-Factors, Annual Payroll Growth Effectively Held at a 30-Month Low – Second-Quarter Real Merchandise Trade Deficit Remained Worst Since 2007. – John Williams, Shadowstats.com
The negative economic news continues to spill out, with most economic reports reflecting an economy that is already in contraction (recession). The most interesting report out last week was auto sales for July, which showed a 5.5% drop from June overall and a 6.2% drop for domestic vehicles. These comps are based on seasonally “adjusted” annualized rates. I would bet anything that the actual number of cars sold in July vs. June were a lot lower. Ford reported an 8.4% drop in sales. Ford admitted that the market was soft and that retail price incentives are at historical highs. In short, the overall auto sales report was a disaster and it’s going to get worse going forward.