Not even the seasonally-adjusted sentiment surveys can give a glimmer of hope any more. A few weeks after the July ISM manufacturing report printed at the lowest since March, moments ago the Markit mfg PMI index was released, printing at justt 52.9, below the expected 53.8, and down from last month’s 53.8. This was the lowest level since October 2013 …
Real U.S. Unemployment Rate at 23.2%, not 5.5%
The seasonally-adjusted SGS Alternate Unemployment Rate reflects current unemployment reporting methodology adjusted for SGS-estimated long-term discouraged workers, who were defined out of official existence in 1994. That estimate is added to the BLS estimate of U-6 unemployment, which includes short-term discouraged workers. The U-3 unemployment rate is the monthly headline number. The U-6 unemployment rate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) …