The Dun and Bradstreet (AKA Kouk) business expectations index is sinking:
Interestingly it is being led by interest rate sensitive sectors:
Sales suck:
Profits suck:
Hiring crashed to “nope”:
Capex was a crack of light:
But disinflation is rampant:
Says the Kouk:
According to Stephen Koukoulas, Economic Advisor to Dun & Bradstreet: “The slide in the Business Expectations Index has continued into May, reaching its lowest level in two and a half years. The ‘actual’ performance of the economy has also weakened, which points to a slowing rate of economic growth in the first part of 2016.” Koukoulas also noted that “of even more concern is the fact the weakness appears to have continued into the June quarter with expected sales, profits, employment and selling prices all reaching new lows in the current cyclical downswing. The outlook is deteriorating rapidly.”
The still firm NAB survey is much better than this one but this weakness must be telling us something.
