Having collapsed to 13-month lows in July - with the biggest miss on record [3] - Chicago's PMI rebounded the way only US macro 'soft-survey' data can. After plunging from 62.6 in June to 52.6 in July, August printed a magnificent 64.3 - its highest since May - showing up this data's noisy nature as entirely useless. From worst miss on record (and 13-month lows) to best beat in 10 months and 5 month highs... brilliant. It would seem ISM has entirely given up on any credibility at all... However, given this exuberance (in production and new orders), the employment sub-index dropped yet again.
"we're gonna need a better seasonal adjustment"
[4]
Charts: Bloomberg
