US DATA: The flow of goods to U.S. factories, retailers and
consumers continued to decline in August, data from the trucking
industry indicated Tuesday. The seasonally adjusted Ceridian-UCLA Pulse
of Commerce Index, which tracks diesel fuel purchases by over-the-road
trucks fell 1.4% in August after falling 0.2% in July. Ed Leamer, the
PCI chief economist and director of UCLA Anderson Forecast, told MNI
that despite the decline in the PCI for the second month in a row, the
slowdown is not indicative of another recession.