China’s manufacturing sector under contractionary pressure – Westpac: Phat Dragon

Well, the official November manufacturing PMI, a more reliable survey than the private sector alternative [once seasonally adjusted], saw finished goods inventories rise to their highest reading ever in November. Along with across the board weakness in order books….. and a deceleration in output, import weakness, a steep decline in the new orders-to-inventories ratio and a depleting work backlog, the manufacturing sector looks to be under contractionary pressure. The moment of discontinuity has not yet arrived, but the odds of such an unwelcome appearance manifesting in the near term from this enfeebled jumping off point have certainly shortened.

Euro Zone – ‘Miserable’ Euro PMI Heightens Recession Risk: Economists – CNBC

The euro zone’s manufacturing PMI fell to 47.3 in October, its lowest level since July 2009, with German manufacturing falling for the first time in two years because of a combination of drops in output and new orders and backlogs of work.

The fall in euro zone PMI “reflected steep declines in both the manufacturing and services indices, suggesting that the deterioration in growth prospects reflects developments both at home and abroad,” Ben May, European economist at Capital Economist, wrote in a market note.

via Euro Zone – ‘Miserable’ Euro PMI Heightens Recession Risk: Economists – CNBC.

Tough Day For Our Calamity Economy | ZeroHedge

In other parts of the economy, early warning signs are also flashing. Capital One, one of the largest credit card issuers in the US, reported that 30-day delinquencies were rising—consumers are getting strung out again. Two days ago, the Empire State Manufacturing index came in at -8.5, in negative territory for the fifth straight month. On a very dark note, its future general business conditions sub-index, which measures expectations, fell to its lowest level since February 2009, the depth of the financial crisis. International business travel has fallen off a cliff at the end of August. And ominously, inbound port traffic is down, probably due to declining expectations for holiday sales.

via Tough Day For Our Calamity Economy | ZeroHedge.