Ann: Trading Halt, page-425

Good morning, from *****.
Markets seem to want to rally atm though.
cheers

"U.S. Flash PMI Falls to 51, Lowest Reading Since Sept. 2009

Monday February 22, 2016 09:54
(***** News) - Preliminary estimates show that the U.S. manufacturing sector fell to its weakest level in more than three years.
Monday, private research firm Markit, said that its flash Purchasing Managers Index for February fell to a reading of 51, down from January’s reading of 52.4. According to the report, this was the lowest reading since September 2009. Consensus forecasts showed that economists were expecting to see a relatively small drop in the index to 52.3.
“Softer rates of output, new business and employment growth all weighed on the headline index,” the report said.
“Manufacturers overwhelmingly linked the slowdown to softer underlying demand patterns in February, while only a small minority cited temporary weather-related disruptions. There were reports that weaker business sentiment, alongside uncertainty about the general economic outlook, had encouraged clients to delay spending decisions during the latest survey period,” the report added.
The firm also noted that the strong U.S. dollar continues to be a drag on exports as a result employment levels are falling.
“With backlogs of work slumping to the greatest extent since the height of the recession in 2009 and inventories rising for the third successive month, it’s likely that firms will come under increasing pressure to cut payroll numbers and production in coming months unless demand revives,” said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, in the report."