US Data: Highlights of Market Survey of Economic Forecasts

Repeats Story Initially Transmitted at 06:03 GMT Mar 5/01:03 EST Mar 5

     WASHINGTON (MNI)  - 

The following are highlights of forecasts for upcoming U.S. economic indicators

provided by Bloomberg forecasts. The comment section presents the key elements

behind the median forecasts.

Final Q4 Non-Farm Productivity (percent change)

 Thursday, March 5 at 8:30 a.m. ET                          

                                                           Actual:

                   Median                              4Qf    3Qf    2Qf 

Productivity        +1.3%                               --  -0.2%  +2.5%  

Unit Labor Cost     +1.4%                               --  +2.5%  +0.1%  

     Comments: Final non-farm productivity is expected to rise by +1.3% (the

preliminary estimate was +1.4%) after falling -0.2% in the third quarter, which

was the first decline in nearly four years. Unit labor cost is expected to

increase by +1.4%, unchanged from the preliminary estimate, and would mark the

sixth straight quarter of increases.

Initial Jobless Claims (thousands)

 Thursday, March 5 at 8:30 a.m. EST                        

                                                           Actual:

                   Median                            Feb29  Feb22 Feb15         

Claims               215k                               --   219k  211k       

Comments: Jobless claims for the week ending February 29 are expected to come in

at 215,000, above the 210k four-week moving average identified by the Department

of Labor in its most recent jobless claims report.

Factory Orders for January (percent change) 

 Thursday, March 5 at 10:00 a.m. ET                     

                                                                Actual: 

               Median                                 Jan20  Dec19  Nov19  

New Orders      -0.1%                                    --  +1.8%  -1.2%  

Ex-Transport       --                                    --  +0.6%  +0.2%  

Comments: New factory orders are expected to decline -0.1% after November's

+1.8% gain.

Trade in Goods and Services for January(deficit, billion $) 

 Friday, March 6 at 8:30 a.m. ET                            

                                                         Actual: 

               Median                             Jan20   Dec19    Nov19        

Trade Gap     -$46.1b                                --  -$48.9b  -$43.7b  

     Comments: The international trade gap is expected to shrink slightly to

-$46.1 billion in January from -$48.9 billion in December. The goods deficit

shrank unexpectedly in January, according to an advance estimate Friday,

reflecting a large drop in imports and smaller drop in exports.  

Nonfarm Payrolls for January(change in thousands) 

 Friday, January 10 at 8:30 a.m. ET                   

                                                           Actual: 

               Median                                 Feb20  Jan20  Dec19     

Payrolls         175k                                    --   225k   147k     

Private Jobs     160k                                    --   206k   142k     

Jobless Rate     3.6%                                    --   3.6%   3.5%   

Hrly Earnings    0.3%                                    --  +0.2%  +0.1%  

Avg Wkly Hrs     34.3                                    --   34.3   34.3   

     Comments: Payrolls probably expanded by +175k in February (and +160k for

private jobs) following a surprise surge of +225k in January. However, coming

quarters may see a deceleration in job growth as excess labor supply tightens.

Analysts will be watching for early signs of a slowdown in hiring due to

uncertainty amid the global coronavirus outbreak. U.S. Census hiring should also

prop up headline job growth somewhat.

Wholesale Trade for December(percent change) 

 Friday, March 6 at 10:00 a.m. ET                          

                                                           Actual: 

               Median                                Jan20  Dec19  Nov19    

Sales              --                                   --  -0.7%  +0.9%   

Consumer Credit for January (dollar change, billions) 

 Friday, March 6 at 3:00 p.m. ET                          

                                                           Actual: 

               Median                               Jan20   Dec19    Nov19     

Cons Cred     +$16.75b                                 --  +$22.1b  +$11.8b     

     Comments: Consumer credit use is expected to rise to a $16.75 billion pace

in January after recording $22.1 billion in December.

--MNI Washington Bureau; +1 202 371 2121; email: ryan.hauser@marketnews.com

[TOPICS: MTABLE]