Archive - Sep 7, 2012 - Story

As we continue spreading today's NFP report, here are two chart summarizing which sectors are hot, and which are not. In another indication of just how weak the US jobs market truly is, as the second chart from Bloomberg Brief confirms, the bulk of the job additions have been in low-wage sectors. The one highest paying, and thus greatest tax-generating, sector - financial jobs - will continue to bleed more and more workers as the credibility of the broken casino formerly known as the capital markets continues plumbing negative territory.

This chart probably needs no explanation. Number of employees engaged in the construction of buildings just dropped to 1,217,000 down from July's 1,220,000, and the lowest number in a year. Just as telling is that the number was a mere 5,600 workers above the depression lows of 1,211,400 recorded in May of 2011.

Sadly for the US labor force, today's number of reported unemployed people according to the Household Survey, which came at 12,544,000, or a drop from 12,794,000 (even as the number of employed declined as well from 142.2MM to 142.1MM), tells only half the story. As the following chart of the day, a bigger problem comes from the fact that in August another 8 million Americans were working part time, double what it was at the start of the Depression. Additionally, 5.2 million, also double the number 4 years ago, are marginally attached to the labor force. Combined, this adds up to 25.8 million, which is the real number of interest, even ignoring the nearly 400,000 who mysteriously dropped out of the labor force. As Bloomberg concludes, "It is likely firms have altered their hiring behavior following the recession, which has resulted in a low-wage bias that favors part-time and temporary workers." Sadly, this means that the change in the labor market is now secular, and the Fed will have to reassess everything it knows, just as it had to reevaluate its flawed understanding of Stock vs Flow, and why more and more are now calling for endless QE.

The NFP number was released at 8:30 am. At 8:40 am Goldman Sachs' Jan Hatzius hit "send" on a 356-word email to clients which was checked, vetted, and given the sign off by compliance, in which the Goldman head economist read through the NFP data, and concluded that "Probability of QE3 Next Week Now Above 50%." Curious why the risk assets first dropped then soared as if stung? Because today, once again, good is great, but worse is greater. Let the global liquidity tsunami continue!

Curious why the unemployment rate dropped from 8.3% to 8.1%, even as just 96,000 jobs were added? The labor participation rate declined from 63.7% to 63.5%, the lowest since 1981. It means that somehow in August the labor force declined by 368,000 people, which is a paradox since according to the household survey 119,000 jobs were lost in August, yet at the same time the unemployment rate dropped. Remember: it is an election year.

In August, two months ahead of the presidential election ahead of which this number will be one of the most critical and talked about, the US generated just 96,000 non-farm payroll jobs, on expectations of 130K additions, and compared to the July number of 163,000, now revised to 143,000K. Private payrolls rose by a modest 103,000, much lower than the expected number of 142K, and down from July's revised 162K. -15,000 manufacturing jobs were lost, compared to the expected +10K, and sadly just a little bit short of Obama's recent promise to add 1 million manufacturing jobs by 2016. Finally, while the unemployment rate came lower (surprise, surprise: this is what appears in newspapers) at 8.1%, far lower than expectations of 8.3%, and below last month's 8.3%, the broad total underemployment rate (U-6) continues to be sticky at 14.7%. Birth Death added 87,000, up from July's 52,000. The reason for the drop in the unemployment rate: labor force participation dropped to 63.5%, down from 63.7%. Oddly enough, this report leaves the NEW QE door open, even as Obama can take the accolade for a declining unemployment rate. Win-win for everyone.

In very real terms the ECB is now no longer an independent institution. The ECB has promised not to act unless the EU assents. The ECB is now totally subject to the whims of the politicians in Europe and whether the markets ignore this for the moment or not that is the truth of it. In promising redemption the ECB has also traded away its ability to act on its own and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

When it comes to corporate cash flows, profitability and actual trade and product demand, central banks still appear to have little to very little ability to jawbone immediate results, as Fedex found out three days ago, and Intel has just confirmed.

• INTEL SEES 3Q REV $12.9B-$13.5B, SAW $13.8B-$14.8B, EST. $14.2B
• INTEL WITHDRAWS YEAR FORECASTS FOR GROSS MARGIN, REVENUE

Fear not: the ECB may still promise to bailout Intel revenues, if Intel only requests a bailout.

We came across this rather telling chart showing the net petroleum imports of the US and China. We present it on a standalone basis, as  the price of oil, and certainly gas, will once again become a key sticking point in the days and weeks ahead, as always happens whenever there is either global coordinated monetary intervention, or relentless jawboning thereof. To present some context to the chart, which forecasts China overtaking the US and becoming the world's largest net oil importer in the world, the official US GDP number presented for public consumption is just under $16 trillion (or 98% of US debt), while China's is, publicly, less than half this number.

• Jobs Gauge Carries Election Clout (WSJ)
• Draghi Lured by Fractious EU Leaders to Build Euro 2.0 (Blooomberg)
• Rajoy stance sets stage for EU stand-off (FT)
• China Approves Plan to Build New Roads to Boost Economy (Bloomberg)
• Hollande faces questions on tax pledge (FT)
• Putin Looks East for Growth as Debt-Ridden Europe Loses Sheen (Bloomberg)
• Strike Grounds Half of Lufthansa's Flights (Spiegel)
• The weakest will win in the euro battle (FT)
• Hilsenrath: Fed Economic, Interest Rate Forecasts Will Include 2015 Outlook (WSJ) - because he just figured that out
• Obama Presses Plan for U.S. Resurgence (WSJ)
• Hong Kong to Restrict Sales of Homes at Two Sites to Locals (Bloomberg)
• Drought Curbs Midwest Farm-Income Outlook, St. Louis Fed Says (Bloomberg)

Just over three months ago, George Soros said the Eurozone has three months to come up with a master plan or else face disintegration. Two months into this countdown, Spanish bonds at both the long and short ends soared to record wide levels, approaching the predicted "game over" state as they nearly inverted, only to see the world's most powerful jawboning intervention by the ECB commence in late July when Draghi delivered his famous "believe me" speech. As of today, Spanish 2 and 10 years bonds have retraced a lot of the priced in doom, with the short end collapsing by a record 350 bps, leading to the steepness on the Spanish bond curve to hit unseen historical levels. However, as the chart below shows, this is not the first, nor even second time that the Spanish bond curve has reacted violently to promises (and even actions - something we have yet to see from the ECB for all its endless talk) that all shall be well, coupled with further promises that this time it's different. It isn't. But enjoy the euphoria while it lasts. 

The EURophoria which commenced yesterday after the repeatedly pre-leaked Mario Draghi speech, has continued into the overnight session, this time getting a helping hand from China, whose Shanghai Composite index is up by just under 4% or the most in eight months following an announcement that The National Development & Reform Commission, China’s top planning agency, said it approved plans to build 2,018 kilometers (1,254 miles) of roads, a day after it backed plans for subway projects in 18 cities. In other words China's empty cities will still be empty but will now be connected and have even better infrastructure. Irrelevant of how the extra money has been injected, or for what ends, the stock and bond markets around the world are enjoying the news, with the EURUSD rising to 1.2700 recently, the Spanish 10 Year sliding to under 6% and the lowest since March despite Industrial Output sliding 5.4% or more than the 5.2% expected, even as German 2 year yield rise to the highest since July despite strong German trade surplus and Industrial Production data, with European equities green across the board and the EURCHF in mid-1.21 territory on louder unfounded rumors the SNB will hike the peg to 1.22/1.23. And with the European action in teh rearview mirror (more below), all eyes turn to today's key report, the August Non-Farm Payrolls.