Economic data, commodities and markets

The article provides an overview of the content and sections covered in the September 2nd, 2023 edition of The Economist.

Stock markets showed signs of improvement last week, fueled by hopes of a Goldilocks economic scenario, despite downward revisions in Q2 GDP growth and a slowdown in housing prices, while robust hiring and a decline in wage growth raised concerns about a cooling job market. The strength of U.S. consumers and the moderation of the Consumer Confidence index are factors that could influence the Federal Reserve's decisions on inflation, with investors advised to rely on trustworthy data and analysis. Noteworthy upcoming earnings and dividend announcements include Zscaler, Gitlab, GameStop, C3ai, American Eagle, DocuSign, and Kroger. Key economic reports this week will focus on Factory Orders, ISM Services PMI, and Q2 Non-Farm Productivity and Unit Labor Costs.

The US sectoral flows for August 2023 have shown a significant decrease in financial balances, which is expected to negatively impact asset markets heading into September and potentially October, with a potential turnaround in markets expected in October. The upcoming mid-September federal corporate tax collections are likely to further decrease financial balances in the private domestic sector. The federal government's spending and credit creation, along with bank credit creation, will play a role in the future trends of asset markets. The real estate market is also showing signs of slowing down due to rising interest rates. Overall, the macroeconomic indicators suggest a strong Xmas/New Year rally and a positive first quarter of 2024 for asset markets.

The article discusses economic data, commodities, and markets in the September 23rd, 2023 edition of The Economist.