EUROZONE INDEX INDICATES UPCOMING RECESSION
American stock futures and Precious Metals are down this morning, as news out of Europe disappointed investors. The eurozone purchasing managers’ index declined in July, further indicating a recession is likely soon in the region. Rob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, said, “The final August PMI came in only slightly below its earlier flash estimate, leaving the eurozone economy on course to fall back into technical recession in the third quarter.” Dobson said “there is little prospect of a sustained improvement in economic conditions over the near term.”
Eurozone policymakers are set to meet tomorrow, and many investors are expecting a new round of monetary easing in the form of bond purchases. One interesting possible outcome of the eurozone meetings is that if any disappointing news comes out and the markets take a hit, the United States Federal Reserve may be more willing to enact its own quantitative easing measures. Stephen Davies, chief executive at Javelin Wealth Management, added another wrinkle to the story. He said, “We are entering into a strange couple of months because the ability of the Fed to take up much of the slack seems to be quite limited on the basis that they will be quite reluctant to make any major moves ahead of the election, on fear of appearing too partisan.”
At 9 a.m. (EDT), the APMEX Precious Metals spot prices were:
- Gold, $1,694.40, Down $0.30.
- Silver, $32.33, Down $0.08.
- Platinum, $1,567.00, Down $1.50.
- Palladium, $643.00, Up $1.50.
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