mr.x
May 11, 2009, 4:17 AM
Can the good economic news keep coming?
By Derek Abma, Financial Post
May 10, 2009
OTTAWA -- What more could come in the way of good economic news in the midst of a recession that has been compared to the Great Depression?
What could follow up this past week's occurrences such as Statistics Canada saying the economy added 36,000 jobs in April, the Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark index getting back into plus-10,000 territory for the first time in half a year, and the heads of central banks in both Canada and the United States saying the recession will end in a matter of months?
Let's start with Canada's March trade numbers, due from Statistics Canada on Tuesday. Economists are expecting a second straight surplus for Canada.
There were trade deficits in December and January, which were the first of such since 1976. A few months ago, it seemed this might be the start of a long line of trade deficits.
But things seem to have changed. TD Securities economics strategist Millan Mulraine explained that Canada benefited from a demand in auto parts from the U.S. in February as a number of idled auto operations there were back in action.
Mulraine said rising commodity prices, particularly oil, have probably helped bring the trade surplus to about $500 million in March, up from $126 million in February.
"In the months ahead, if the rebound in commodity prices continues, we expect the merchandise trade surplus to improve even further, though additional deficits may only be a hair's breadth away," Mulraine wrote in a research note.
CIBC World Markets economist Krishen Rangasamy had the same outlook for the March trade numbers, citing a "stabilization of U.S. consumption" in recent months, along more favourable commodity prices.
Speaking of U.S. consumers, April retail numbers from south of the border are due Wednesday. TD's Mulraine is expecting a gain of 0.3 per cent for the month, saying that "the recent tone of consumer spending activity has been surprisingly positive as personal consumption expenditures added favourably in economic activity in Q1 after two consecutive quarterly drops."
Meny Grauman, another CIBC economist, is not so positive about U.S. retail, expecting a 0.4 per cent decline in the April numbers. He acknowledged that chain stores have been reporting decent numbers, but much of that is related to the timing of Easter, a factor that will be stripped out of the official government data.
On the other hand, most economists expect to see another monthly gain in manufacturing shipments from Canada for March, which would follow up on February's rise that broke a six-month streak of contractions. This data will be reported Friday.
After a 2.2 per cent gain for February, CIBC is forecasting a 1.5 per cent rise in manufacturing for March, while TD is calling for one per cent uptick.
"The key catalyst for the gains is likely to be auto-related shipments, while higher gasoline prices should also bolster shipments of petroleum and coal products," TD's Mulraine said.
And with the automotive industry undergoing a painful restructuring process, Statistics Canada on Wednesday will say how many new vehicles were sold in Canada in March. In February, there was a 2.2 per cent decline in monthly sales.
Statistics Canada will kick off the business week off on Monday with new-housing prices for March. In February, there was a monthly decline of 0.7 per cent.
In the U.S., April consumer-price numbers are due Friday. After a 0.4 per cent annualized decline in March, economists are expecting the lower-price trend to have continued into April.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/fp/good+economic+news+keep+coming/1582269/story.html
By Derek Abma, Financial Post
May 10, 2009
OTTAWA -- What more could come in the way of good economic news in the midst of a recession that has been compared to the Great Depression?
What could follow up this past week's occurrences such as Statistics Canada saying the economy added 36,000 jobs in April, the Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark index getting back into plus-10,000 territory for the first time in half a year, and the heads of central banks in both Canada and the United States saying the recession will end in a matter of months?
Let's start with Canada's March trade numbers, due from Statistics Canada on Tuesday. Economists are expecting a second straight surplus for Canada.
There were trade deficits in December and January, which were the first of such since 1976. A few months ago, it seemed this might be the start of a long line of trade deficits.
But things seem to have changed. TD Securities economics strategist Millan Mulraine explained that Canada benefited from a demand in auto parts from the U.S. in February as a number of idled auto operations there were back in action.
Mulraine said rising commodity prices, particularly oil, have probably helped bring the trade surplus to about $500 million in March, up from $126 million in February.
"In the months ahead, if the rebound in commodity prices continues, we expect the merchandise trade surplus to improve even further, though additional deficits may only be a hair's breadth away," Mulraine wrote in a research note.
CIBC World Markets economist Krishen Rangasamy had the same outlook for the March trade numbers, citing a "stabilization of U.S. consumption" in recent months, along more favourable commodity prices.
Speaking of U.S. consumers, April retail numbers from south of the border are due Wednesday. TD's Mulraine is expecting a gain of 0.3 per cent for the month, saying that "the recent tone of consumer spending activity has been surprisingly positive as personal consumption expenditures added favourably in economic activity in Q1 after two consecutive quarterly drops."
Meny Grauman, another CIBC economist, is not so positive about U.S. retail, expecting a 0.4 per cent decline in the April numbers. He acknowledged that chain stores have been reporting decent numbers, but much of that is related to the timing of Easter, a factor that will be stripped out of the official government data.
On the other hand, most economists expect to see another monthly gain in manufacturing shipments from Canada for March, which would follow up on February's rise that broke a six-month streak of contractions. This data will be reported Friday.
After a 2.2 per cent gain for February, CIBC is forecasting a 1.5 per cent rise in manufacturing for March, while TD is calling for one per cent uptick.
"The key catalyst for the gains is likely to be auto-related shipments, while higher gasoline prices should also bolster shipments of petroleum and coal products," TD's Mulraine said.
And with the automotive industry undergoing a painful restructuring process, Statistics Canada on Wednesday will say how many new vehicles were sold in Canada in March. In February, there was a 2.2 per cent decline in monthly sales.
Statistics Canada will kick off the business week off on Monday with new-housing prices for March. In February, there was a monthly decline of 0.7 per cent.
In the U.S., April consumer-price numbers are due Friday. After a 0.4 per cent annualized decline in March, economists are expecting the lower-price trend to have continued into April.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/fp/good+economic+news+keep+coming/1582269/story.html