US Data: Highlights of MNI Survey of Economic Forecasts

     WASHINGTON (MNI) - The following are highlights of forecasts for   

upcoming U.S. economic indicators provided by participants in the MNI   

weekly survey. The comment section presents the key elements behind the 

median forecasts.

Durable Goods Orders for July (percent change)                          

 Friday, August 24 at 8:30 a.m. ET                       Actual:        

               Median         Range                  Jul18  Jun18  May18

 New Orders     -1.3%    -4.0% to +1.6%                 --  +0.8%  -0.3%

 Ex-Transport   +0.5%    +0.0% to +0.7%                 --  +0.2%  +0.3%

     Comments: Durable goods orders are expected to decline by 1.3% in  

July after a 0.8% gain in June. Boeing reported only 30 orders in July, 

down very sharply from 233 orders in June, so aircraft orders are likely

to retrace in the July report after a June increase. However, not all of

the June surge in Boeing orders was reflected in the durables report    

that month, so there is an upside risk to the July data. New orders     

excluding transportation are expected to rise by 0.5% after a 0.2% gain 

in the previous month.                                                  

--MNI Washington Bureau; +1 202-372-2121; email: shikha.dave@marketnews.com

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