2008.09.01 Eco Minutes [今日市場脈搏]

01. Europe Markets: Stocks in Europe edge lower, Commerzbank leading the banking sector lower

02. South Korean car sales drop 7.5% in August

03. German new car sales sharply lower in August, New car registrations in Germany, Europe's biggest automarket, were up around 3% on the year at almost 1.9 million vehicles in the January-to-July period.

04. China manufacturing slowing. China's PMI measures signal softening trend in August amid weaker global demand and Olympics-related factory shutdowns, near contraction

05. Currencies: British pound plunges on Chancellor Darling's weak outlook, falling 1.3% against the U.S. dollar to a level last seen in April 2006 after U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer said the economic environment is the worst state in 60 years,  angering his boss, Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Commentary: Brown's days are numbered

06. Stocks head into the holiday-shortened first week of September amid hurricanes, financial and economic uncertainty. U.S. markets to face jobs data in shortened week, US Economic Preview - Payrolls heading down, expected to fall in August

07. Asia Markets: Exporters lead Japan lower. Japanese wages drop in July. Exporters and techs weigh down regional stocks, as Honda and LG Electronics taking a hit on worries about the impact on demand from a slowing global economy.

08. U.K. House price slump, July British mortgage approvals set another all-time low. British home prices down for 11th straight month, survey says. U.K. Aug. manufacturing PMI 45.9 vs. 44.1 July.

09. New Orleans emptied. Gustav prompts shut-in of nearly 77% of Gulf oil output. Gustav could bust levees, Up to $7 billion in damage to oil platforms seen. If Hurricane Gustav is as strong as forecast, a storm surge up to 18 feet high could overtop floodwalls and levees in New Orleans. But oil trades lower in London, losing over $1 a barrel as hurricane to remain category 3.

10. U.S. retail gasoline prices return to above $4 a gallon. Hurricane Gustav eases, but expected to intensify.

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7:50 a.m.
Futures Movers: as Gustav nears landfall, Oil loses ground, down to 114

7:29 a.m.
London Markets: U.K. stocks edge higher as sterling drops

7:11 a.m.
Stocks in Europe weaken, Commerzbank slides

6:11 a.m.
Center of Gustav, Cat 3 hurricane, to hit LA near midday

5:05 a.m.
Sterling down 1.3% at $1.8039 vs dollar

5:05 a.m.
Light sweet crude up 77C at $116.23 a barrel

5:05 a.m.
S&P 500 futures down 3.80 at 1,278.80

5:04 a.m.
Euro down 0.3% at $1.4638 vs dollar

4:02 a.m.
Euro-zone Aug. manufacturing PMI rises to 47.6 from 47.4 Jul

3:38 a.m.
Carrefour cut J.P. Morgan to underweight from neutral, Spain weakness cited

2:43 a.m.
LSE reportedly to cut fees, increase trader incentives

2:38 a.m.
Japan domestic vehicle sales slump 14.9% in August. Japan wages fall an inflation-adjusted 2.5% in July. Nikkei ends down 1.8% at 12,834.18

12:04 a.m.
Hong Kong PMI falls further in August, signals contraction. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index drops 1.2% in early minutes

12:01 a.m.
China Aug Purchasing Managers Index 49.2 vs 53.3 July. Shanghai Composite drops 2.6% to 2,334.01

中國股市大跌3.01%, 再創熊市新低: 上證指數收報2325.135點，跌-72.234點，或-3.01%

上市公司業績增長放緩,是縈繞在投資者"心頭的痛",以滬市上市公司淨利潤為例,08年上半年大約平均同比增長了16%左右,而去年同期的增幅是近70%,經濟增長走低的趨勢令人擔憂。

中國物流與采購聯合會周一公布數據顯示,8月宏觀經濟先行指標--官方製造業采購經理指數(PMI)為48.4,與上月持平,並已連續兩個月位於50下方.分析師認為,該數據反映經濟增長走低的態勢仍未改變。