10/5/21: Ireland PMIs for April: Rapid Growth and Inflation Signals

Ireland's PMIs have accelerated across all two key sectors of Services and Manufacturing in April, while Construction Sector continued to post declining activity (through mid-April).

Irish Manufacturing PMI rose from 57.1 in March to 60.8 in April as larger multinationals boosted their activities and increased pass-through for inflation. This marks third consecutive month of increasing PMIs for the sector. Meanwhile, Irish Services PMI rose from 54.6 in March to 57.7 in April, marking second consecutive month of above 50 PMIs readings. 

In line with the above developments, official Composite PMI rose from 54.5 in March to 58.1 in April. 

Irish Construction Sector PMI, reported mid-month, was at 30.9 (significantly below 50.0, signaling strong rate of contraction in activity) in mid-April, a somewhat less rapid rate of decline relative to mid-March reading of 27.0. All in, Irish Construction Sector PMI has been sub-50 for four consecutive month now.

In contrast to Markit that publishes official Composite PMI, I calculate my own GVO-shares weighted index of economic activity across three sectors: my Three Sectors Index rose from 55.0 in March 2021 to 58.3 in April. 

In terms of inflation, Services PMI release states that "Cost pressures remained strong in April, linked by survey respondents to labour, insurance, fuel, shipping and UK customs. The rate of input price inflation eased slightly from March's 13-month high, however. To protect profit margins, service providers raised their charges for the second month running. The rate of charge inflation was the strongest since February 2020, albeit modest overall." The indications are that Irish services firms are operating in less competitive environment than their global counterparts, with stronger ability to pass through cost increases into their charges. However, this feature of Irish data most likely reflects the accounting complexity within major multinationals trading through Ireland. 

Similar situation is developing in Manufacturing: "Supply chains remain under severe pressure, with longer delivery times owing to new UK Customs arrangements, transport delays and raw materials shortages. These factors, combined with strengthening demand, are leading to a heightening of inflationary pressures. Input prices increased at their fastest pace in ten years, while output prices rose at a series-record pace."

All in, we are witnessing signs of continued inflationary pressures across a number of months now, with even multinationals - companies using Ireland as primarily a tax and regulatory arbitrage location for their activities - feeling the pressures. This is an indication that inflation is building up globally and, as time drags on, starting to feed through to final prices of goods and services.

7/4/21: Ireland PMIs for March: Growth and Inflation Pressures

 

Ireland PMIs for 1Q 2021 are out this week, so let's take a closer look at monthly activity data. 

• March services PMI came in at a surprising 54.6 - up on 41.2 in February and 36.2 in January. Given the country is in a phase 5 lockdown, and there has been little change on that in recent months, the new reading is a bizarre one. Per Markit: "Three out of four monitored sub-sectors registered higher business activity in March. The strongest rate of expansion was in Financial Services, followed by Business Services and Technology, Media & Telecoms respectively. Activity in Transport, Tourism & Leisure declined for the eighth month running, but at the slowest rate since last August." A lot of hope-for vaccines and 'getting back to normal' as well as exports rise behind these figures. Services PMI is now at its highest reading since February 2020.
• March Manufacturing PMI also performed well, rising to 57.1 from 52.0 in February. Manufacturing index has been more volatile in the pandemic than Services, so this rise is less of a surprise, given the global economic recovery and demand for Irish exports.
• We do not have full March data for construction sector PMI, which is reported mid-month, so all we do have is mid-March reading of 27.0. 

Official Composite PMI published by Markit was pretty upbeat in march 2021, rising to 54.5 - signaling strong growth, having previously posted 47.2 in February and 40.2 in January 2021. My own, Three Sectors Activity index - a weighted average of three sectors PMIs based on their share of gross value added - rose even more sharply: from 41.8 in January and 45.0 in February to 55.0 in March. If Construction sector PMI were to come in on-trend mid-April, the Three Sectors Index will be closer to 55.1-55.2 range.

As an aside, it is worth noting that Irish economic activity is showing similar trend to global activity when it comes to inflationary pressures (see: https://trueeconomics.blogspot.com/2021/04/5421-heating-up-inflationary-risks.html). Per Markit: "March data indicated soaring cost pressures. The Composite Input Prices Index posted a record one-month gain and signalled the fastest rate of inflation since July 2008. Cost pressures were much stronger at manufacturers than service providers." In other words, even small open economies with massive distortions coming from the multinationals' financial and tax engineering sides are now showing signs of heating up inflation. 

9/3/20: Irish February PMIs: Baseline for the Covid2019 Impact

With the start of March and with corona virus impacting the global economy, I have decided to restart coverage of Irish PMIs - something I did not do for some years now. So here are some of the 1Q 2020 results based on January-February data.

First off, Sector and Composite PMIs on a quarterly average basis. As reminder, Composite PMIs are computed by me based on Markit and CSO data as GDP share-weighted averages for each sub-component, namely Manufacturing, Services and Construction:

Services clearly lead the recovery from 4Q 2020 weakness, with both Manufacturing and Construction nominally in the expansion territory, but statistically too close to zero growth to be congratulatory.

Composite PMIs ex-Construction are statistically within long term average and consistent with subdued growth rates. Composite ex-Construction (based on just Manufacturing and Services) is at 52.86 against the upper bound for the 95% confidence interval around the historical mean of 52.74. Including Construction, the Composite PMI rises to 56.14.

Monthly PMIs against period averages:

None of this data reflects any major concerns with COVID2019, since no cases have been identified in Ireland in the period covered by data. The impact should be felt in March 2020 figures due at the start of April. So we can look at the above charts as the base for the upcoming COVID2019 impact.

2/3/16: Irish Manufacturing PMI: February

Irish Manufacturing PMI posted a long-anticipated, and relatively mild slip back from a rapid pace of expansion in January (54.3) to shallower growth in February 2016 (52.9).

Despite this fall back, 3mo average Manufacturing PMI for the period through February stood at 53.8, which is above the 3mo average reading through November 2015 (53.6), although well below the 3mo average through February 2015 (56.5).

Per Markit release: “Growth eased in the Irish manufacturing sector in February as new orders increased at the weakest pace since late-2013. Output and purchasing activity also rose at slower rates, but employment bucked the wider trend by increasing more quickly than at the start of the year. The rate of input cost deflation quickened to the fastest since November 2009, with output prices also falling at a sharper pace in response… Where new
orders did increase, panellists often mentioned higher new business from export markets, in turn reflecting new orders from the UK and US. Growth in new export business also slowed, however.”

Good news is: “…the latest solid expansion in production extended the current sequence of growth to 33 months.” Bad news is: much of growth seems to be concentrated in the areas benefiting from weaker Euro, not in the areas of organic expansion.

4/3/16: Irish PMIs for January: Growth Is Up at Year Start

Irish Manufacturing and Services PMIs for January were published earlier this week and are worth looking into as a signal for the underlying economic activities at the start of 1Q 2016.

Irish Manufacturing PMIs rose for the second month in a row in January, reaching 54.3 from 54.2 in December. This is the highest level of activity since July 2015 and confirms some reversal of PMIs dynamics from slower growth recorded from August 2015 through November. Of course, when we are talking about ‘slower growth’ we are talking about still very high rates of expansion as singled by PMI. 3mo average through January 2016 is at blistering 53.9, which is up on scorching 53.7 3mo average through October 2015 and down on scorching 56.1 3mo average through January 2015. These telephone numbers compare extremely well against the historical average of 51.0 and even post-crisis average of 53.0.

Per Markit: “Business conditions in the Irish manufacturing sector improved solidly at the start of 2016, as had been the case at the end of 2015. A sharp and accelerated expansion in new orders was the key driver of strengthening conditions, with output and employment also continuing to rise. Lower raw material costs led to the sharpest fall in input prices in three months, while output charges decreased for the first time since last October… The health of the sector has now strengthened in each of the past 32 months.”

Notably, per Markit: “The decrease in output prices ended a two-month sequence of inflation” which is suggesting that Irish producers are now contributing to downward pressures in Euro area markets.

Meanwhile, Irish Services PMI also rose robustly in January, reaching 64.0 against 61.8 in December 2015. Again, these are unbelievably strong  numbers that raise some serious questions about the survey methodologies and/or coverage, but more on this later. 3mo average Services PMI for Ireland was at 61.5 in 3 months through October 2015 and rose to 63.1 in 3mo period through January 2016, up on already unbelievable 62.2 for the 3 months through January 2015. Historical average of 54.9 - again, extremely strong by any measure - is in the dust.

Per Markit, Services PMI “signalled the sharpest expansion in services output since June 2006. Activity has now risen in each of the past 42 months. Companies expect further improvements in economic conditions over the coming 12 months to lead to growth of activity. Business sentiment picked up slightly at the start of 2016. The rate of expansion in new business also quickened in January, and was the joint-fastest since August 2000. New orders have risen continuously throughout the past three-and-a-half years. As has been the case throughout the past four-and-a-half years, new export business rose in January. Moreover, the rate of expansion accelerated from that seen in December. … Consequently, employment rose at a substantial pace during January and one that was sharper than seen in the previous month. A further sharp rise in input costs was recorded in January, as the effect of higher wages and salaries outweighed the downwards impact of lower fuel costs. The rate of inflation across the service sector ticked up marginally, remaining above the series average.”

As per chart above, both Services and Manufacturing sectors are now in a massive expansion, with rates of growth in the underlying activity well in excess of those historically anchored in the pre-crisis period. Services divergence toward higher growth is still being contrasted by lagging growth in Manufacturing, but signs of possible catching up in Manufacturing to the upside are also present.

Per chart above, we can confirm new growth trend in Services and the potential for sustained growth acceleration in Manufacturing (albeit no new trend yet).

Per chart above, both sectors of the Irish economy are operating at the margins of economy’s potential (judging by historical trends). This is hard to interpret as an organic shift in potential rates of growth, so most likely, we are going to witness some growth moderation in months ahead.

Still, current performance raises serious questions as to where this data is coming from. It has long been suspicion of this author that the surveys dynamics have been driven by multinational enterprises operating in both sectors. We have no confirmation of this nor denial of this from Markit and we do not know the quality of their coverage across two sectors. However, one has to be aware of the simple fact - as shown on this blog in the past, survey results have been (in the past) deeply out of line with actual underlying activity registered in the sectors. Currently, both Services and Manufacturing indices are running fairly closely correlated with the reported activity in these sectors, but past low correlations with GDP and GNP and sectoral value added metrics suggests that the survey base can be skewed in favour of unweighting MNCs.

6/1/16: Irish Manufacturing, Services & Construction PMIs: 4Q 2015

Time to update Irish quarterly PMI readings for 4Q 2015. Please note: the following refer to average PMI readings per quarter as supplied by Markit.

Irish Manufacturing PMI averaged 53.7 in 4Q 2015, down slightly on 54.7 in 3Q 2015 and the lowest quarterly reading since 4Q 2013 (jointly tied for that honour with 1Q 2014). The quarterly average has now declined in every quarter since the period peak in 4Q 2014.  Still, at 53.7 we have rather solid growth signal as is. On y/y basis, Manufacturing PMI is now down 5.1% after falling 2.6% in 3Q 2015 and rising 0.7% in 2Q 2015. 4Q 2015 marks tenth consecutive quarter of above 50.0 readings for the sector, with all of these readings being statistically above 50.0 as well. The trend in growth is down.

Irish Services PMI slipped from 62.6 in 3Q 2015 to 61.8 in 4Q 2015, down 1.3% q/q after posting a 1.4% rise q/q in 3Q 2015. On annual basis, the PMI fell 0.11% having previously risen 0.91% in 3Q 2015 and falling 0.48% in 2Q 2015. This marks 20th consecutive quarter of above 50.0 readings in the sector. In level terms, 61.8 signals robust growth in the sector, so it is a positive signal, albeit over time consistent with quite a bit of volatility and no strongly defined trend.

Irish Construction sector PMI (through November 2015) for 4Q 2015 stood at 55.9, down from, 57.1 in 3Q 2015 and marking the second consecutive quarter of index declines. Q/Q index was down 7.95% in 3Q 2015 and it was also down 2.16% in 4Q 2015. Y/Y, index was up 1.42% in 2Q 2015, down 7.6% in 3Q 2015 and down 12.4% in 4Q 2015. Volatile movements in the series still indicate downward trend in growth in the sector.

Chart above summarises the sub-trends, with Services trending very sluggishly up, while Manufacturing and Construction trending down.

As shown in the chart above, my estimated Composite measure, relating to PMIs (using sectoral weights in quarterly GDP figures) posted moderation in growth rate in 4Q 2015.  Composite Index including construction sector stood at 54.4 in 4Q 2015, down from 55.5 in 3Q 2015, hitting the lowest reading since 3Q 2013. This marks second consecutive quarter of declining Composite Index. Index is now down 1.9% q/q having previously fallen 3.8% q/q in 3Q 2015. In y/y terms, Composite Index was up 0.8% y/y in 2Q 2015, down 3.5% y/y in 3Q 2015 and down 6.52% y/y in 4Q 2015. While levels of Index suggest relatively robust growth in the economy across three key sectors, there is a downward trend in the growth rate over time.

So in the nutshell, Irish PMIs continue to signal robust growth, albeit the rate of growth appears to be slowing down along the new sub-trend present from 1Q 2015 on.

Two charts to highlight relationship between PMI signals and GDP and GNP growth rates (data through 3Q 2015).

3/12/15: Irish Services & Manufacturing PMIs: November 2015

Markit released Irish PMIs for November. Here are the highlights:

Services Sector PMI for Ireland stood at 63.6 in November - a significant uplift on October 60.1 reading and the highest reading since September 2006. 3mo average through August 2015 stands at 62.9 while 3mo average through November 2015 is at 62.0. Irish Services sector activity has now been running PMIs above 60.0 (signalling an exceptionally high levels of growth) every month since February 2014. Which, basically, makes these numbers either unbelievable or reflective of heavy biases toward MNCs-led activities in the survey. Not that Markit seems to be concerned and certainly not its paying partners in releasing the survey - Investec.

Manufacturing Sector PMI for Ireland moderated marginally to 53.3 in November from 53.6 in October, pushing 3 mo average through November to 53.6 which is somewhat lower than 55.0 recorded over 3 months through August 2015 and 56.2 3mo average through November 2014.

As the chart below shows, Services and Manufacturing PMIs have both continued to signal strong growth in the economy, albeit the trends in two series have now diverged, starting around February 2015 when Manufacturing PMI trend turned toward toward signalling shallower rates of growth, while Services PMI trend turned more volatile and onto a relatively moderate upward path.

4/11/15: Irish Services & Manufacturing PMIs: October

Irish manufacturing and services PMIs have been released by Markit, covering October.

On Manufacturing PMI side, there has been some improvement in growth conditions in the manufacturing sector, with faster growth in new business, offset by softer production growth. IrishManufacturing PMI posted a reading of 53.6 in October, down marginally on 53.8 in September. Per Markit: “Business conditions have now strengthened in each of the past 29 months. The rate of expansion in manufacturing production continued to ease in October, the third successive month in which a slowdown has been recorded. The latest rise was the weakest since February 2014, but higher sales, in a number of cases from export markets, supported continued output growth.” In other words, MNCs activity is once again the suspect key driver for continued growth in the sector, not that Markit would say so outright.

On a 3mo average basis, 3mo average for the period through October stood at 56.1 - a hefty rise on the 3mo average through July 2015 that registered 53.7 and almost in line with 56.5 3mo average through October 2014. Over the last 6 months through October, the index average was down 1.5 points on the 6mo average through April 2015.

Meanwhile, on Services PMI side, October marked another month of rapid growth, although the rate of growth eased somewhat from dizzying highs of September. October Services PMI stood at a hefty 60.1, down on jaw-breaking 62.4 reading in September 2015. On a 3mo average basis, 3mo average through October 2015 was 62.7, up on 3mo average through July 2015 (61.5) and above the 3mo average through October 2014 (61.2).

Per Markit: “Although [October reading] signalled the weakest expansion in activity since February 2014, the rate of growth remained elevated as higher new business continued to lead to rising output.
Business sentiment remained strongly positive, with panellists predicting that new orders would continue to increase over the coming year, leading to further growth of activity. Improvements in wider economic conditions were also mentioned by those panellists forecasting higher output. That said, sentiment dipped to the weakest since August 2014. The rate of growth in new business eased further in October and was the weakest since March.”

As chart above shows, both services and manufacturing sectors continue to perform well ahead of historical comparatives, but on-trend in terms of growth balancing between two sectors. “Excess’ growth in Manufacturing, evident in October 2013 and 2014 data has eased, while accompanying moderation in growth in Services was somewhat weaker. Again, all indications are - exporting sectors are driving growth, dominated by MNCs, though domestic internal demand is also supporting expansion.

7/10/15: Irish economic Activity & PMIs: 3Q 2015

Irish quarterly PMIs for 3Q 2015 posted a marginal improvement in growth conditions compared to 2Q 2015, further strengthening on the already fast pace of economic activity expansion. This overall momentum was driven solely by gains in growth momentum in Services sectors.

Manufacturing PMI averaged 55.2 in 3Q 2015, down marginally on 55.8 in 2Q 2015 and marking the slowest pace of activity expansion since 1Q 2014. 3Q marks second consecutive growth of weakening PMIs. Still, current running rate signals strong growth in the sector.

Services PMI posted a reading of 62.8 in 3Q 2015, up on already high reading of 61.8 in 2Q 2015. This is the highest reading since 2Q 2006 and marks second consecutive quarter of increases in the index. Overall activity signal from the 3Q PMI averages is for an outright boom in the sector.

Construction PMIs (with data only for July-August) fell in 3Q 2015 to 59.1 from 2Q 2015 reading of 62.1. Nonetheless, growth, as singled by PMI, remained robust in 3Q 2015.

Overall, PMIs continue to signal robust rates of economic activity growth in the Irish economy over the course of 3Q 2015. 

Usual caveats, however, apply to interpreting the links between PMIs and actual production and value added in the sectors. Historically Irish Manufacturing and Services PMIs exhibit statistically insignificant correlation with real activity in both sectors, as well as GDP and GNP growth. At the very best, Services PMI data is capable of explaining at most around 11 percent of total variation in GDP, while at the worst, Manufacturing PMI explains at most 5.6 percent of total variation in GNP.

6/8/15: Irish Services PMI: July Mirage of Growth

Today, Markit released Services PMI for Ireland. Note: I have covered details of the Manufacturing PMI release link here.

On Services side, headline index reading in July was 63.4, which is marginally ahead of 63.3 registered in June. July reading was the highest in 109 months, after June posting the highest reading in 108 months.

Per Markit, "Panellists mainly linked the latest increase in activity to improving economic conditions." As I have shown in the past, the index is only now starting to re-couple with actual services activity indicators, suggesting that much of the PMI reading is biased by the specific, concentrated MNCs-led activity. Still, the PMI has now reached dizzying heights.

On another positive side, Services PMI boom is coinciding with Manufacturing PMI boom (also most likely driven by MNCs tax optimisation strategies):

But, as the next post details, real actual, CSO-measured activity in the Services sector was nowhere near all-time highs in growth in 1H 2015. In simple terms, PMI is telling us porkies, or PMI survey participants are telling Markit porkies, or both...

What is even more disturbing is that Manufacturing PMI figures are also in the territory of imagineering, where fair princesses and unicorns run through the fields of golden pansies with butterflies at their... ah, whatever... just take a look at the above chart and read this: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.it/2015/08/5815-irish-industrial-production-up.html.

4/8/15: Irish Manufacturing PMI: July 2015

Irish Manufacturing PMI released by Markit showed accelerated growth in the sector in July, with activity growth signal rising from 54.6 in June to 56.7 in July. This marks 26ht consecutive month of index readings above 50.0 (23rd consecutive month of readings statistically significantly above 50.0).

Overall, the trend remains for high growth in the sector, albeit the rate of increase in growth (second derivative) is moderating (turning negative) since around February 2015.

It is worth noting that the moderating trend in PMIs is confirmed by the most recent QNA datum showing Industry sector - excluding Building and Construction - in a q/q decline in 1Q 2015 of 0.31%, while the sector posted a 9.63% growth year-on-year.

Overall, another month of gains in Manufacturing is a good sign of underlying strength in the sector.

10/7/15: Irish Quarterly PMIs: Manufacturing, Services & Construction

Irish PMI for June, released earlier this month by Markit (co-branded by Investec) give us a chance to look at quarterly activity. Given volatility in both Manufacturing and Services activity in the monthly data, this provides a slightly better potential insight into what is going on in the economy (see caveat at the bottom of the post).

Q2 2015 average PMI for Manufacturing sector reads 55.8 - the lowest for any quarter since Q2 2014, but still solidly in an expansion range. Q2 2015 marks second consecutive quarter of declining manufacturing PMI readings. However, on a positive side, Q2 2015 was the 8th consecutive quarter of readings above 50. Year on year, growth in the sector remained largely unchanged and growth de-accelerated on a quarterly basis.

Q2 2015 average PMI for Services rose marginally to 61.8 from 61.6 in 1Q 2015 and is below 62.1 average for Q2 2014. Q2 2015 marks 18th consecutive quarterly reading above 50 for the Services sector. Year on year, growth slowed down in the Services sector and quarter on quarter it remained largely static.

Construction sector PMI (co-branded with Ulster Bank) posted quarterly average of 60.3 in Q2 2015, well above 54.0 average for Q1 2015, but below 61.2 average for Q2 2014. Thus, year on year growth fell in the Construction sector, but there was a significant acceleration in quarter on quarter growth. Q2 2015 marks 8th consecutive quarter with average PMI above 50.0.

Composite PMI (subject to future revisions due to sectoral weights changes once we have Q1 and Q2 national accounts) posted a reading of 60.4 in Q2 2015, up on 59.0 in Q1 2015 and marginally higher than 60.2 reading in Q2 2014. Year on year, composite PMI signalled basically static performance, while quarterly growth improved somewhat in Q2 2015.


Caveat: Irish PMI readings have very low direct correlation to actual growth in the economy, measured by either GDP or GNP. Historically, PMIs levels and changes explain at most ca 10.6 percent of variations in GNP and at most 8.8 percent of variations in GDP. In other words, booming PMIs, on average, do not translate into booming economy. 

3/6/15: Irish Manufacturing PMI: May 2015

Irish Manufacturing PMI for May came in at a stronger 57.1 reading up on 55.8 in April. The indicator currently stands above 12 mo average (56.3) and 3mo average (56.6). 3mo average through May is marginally up on 3mo average through February 2015 (56.5).

Looking at shorter run shows that current levels of activity are consistent with flattening out of the trend at high levels at the trend level of 56.5-57.0:

Overall, good solid reading for Manufacturing, subject to all usual caveats relating to questionable MNCs activities and data bias in favour of MNCs.

6/5/15: Irish Services & Manufacturing PMI: April 2015

Irish Services PMI (Markit & Investec) for April posted slightly lower rate of growth in the sector compared to March, declining marginally to 60.9 from 60.6 a month ago. Current reading marks the 14th consecutive month of Services PMI above 60.0 and 33rd consecutive above 50.0 reading, so not surprisingly, the sector is running hot.

Irish Manufacturing PMI is covered in more details here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2015/05/1515-irish-manufacturing-pmi-april-2015.html


Stripping out some volatility:

• Services sector PMI 3mo average is currently at 62.2, running above 3mo average through January 2015 (61.0) and 3mo average through April 2014 (60.0). 6mo average through April 2015 is just 0.4 points below 6mo average through October 2014.  Historically, current Services PMI 12 mo average of 61.8 compares favourably to the post-crisis period average of 56.0 and pre-crisis average of 57.6. Crisis period average was 50.7.
• Manufacturing sector PMI 3mo average through April 2015 is at 56.1 which is somewhat lower than the 3mo average through January 2015 (56.7) but well ahead of the 3mo average through April 2014 (54.8). 6mo average for the period through April 2015 is 0.5 points above the 6mo average through October 2014. Historically, current Manufacturing PMI 12 mo average of 56.1 compares favourably to the post-crisis period average of 52.7 and pre-crisis average of 51.8. Crisis period average was 51.2.

In April, both Services and Manufacturing PMIs posted some marginal slowdown in activity compared to April 2014. Services PMI slipped from 61.9 to 60.6 and Manufacturing PMI declined from 56.1 to 55.8. Nonetheless, both series have now been jointly trending above 50.0 for 23 months, which is a solid performance.

1/5/15: Irish Manufacturing PMI: April 2015

Irish Manufacturing PMI is out today for April (compiled by Markit, sponsored by Investec), posting another strong reading at 55.8,

As the chart above indicates, current 12mo average is at robust 56.1 and 3mo average is 56.7. In 3mo through January 2015, the indicator averaged 56.1, which suggests the latest 3mo performance was stronger then the previous one. 3mo average through April 2015 is well ahead of the same period average for 2014 (54.8) and 2013 (49.4). Overall, these are strong numbers, although much of the spectacular growth is probably accounted for by the fabled Contract Manufacturing schemes that are used by some MNCs to book value added for production taking else where into Ireland for tax purposes.

April reading continues the period - 20 months and counting - of continued readings that are statistically significantly above 50.0. However, momentum growth is weakening and remains static from around August 2014. Still, this is the second order derivative, with the overall rate of growth being signalled by the PMI remaining robust.

1/4/15: Irish Manufacturing PMI: March 2015

Markit/Investec Manufacturing PMI for Ireland came out today showing continued and robust growth in the sector (or in the sub-sample of the sector covered by the survey).

Per Markit: "The Irish manufacturing sector registered a further strong improvement in operating conditions during March, helped by a series-record rise in employment. Job creation was linked to a further sharp increase in output requirements amid strong new order growth. The recent weakness of the euro against both the US dollar and sterling led to a first increase in input prices in three months."

Balmy conditions in the sector have meant that the PMI slipped somewhat from the scorching hot reading of 57.5 in February to a hot and humid 56.8 in March. Trend is flattening out, as expected, given the already surreal readings and the fact that the index has been over 50.0 for 22 consecutive months and within statistically significant difference from 50.0 for 19 months straight.

Aside from the above, anecdotal evidence - from one of the larger trade bodies - suggests that externally trading SMEs are now showing serious uptick in their exporting activity due to improved exchange rate environment.

Cited by Markit employment outlook strength is confirmed by today's Live Register data for February 2015 which shows:

1. Significant declines in Live Register y/y
2. Broad declines in Live Register across duration of registrations (long- and short-term supports); and
3. Broad declines in Live Register by occupation, with all occupations posting decreases in LR.

So on the net - good news.

4/3/15: Irish Manufacturing & Services PMIs: February 2015

With all recent work-related excitement, I have delayed analysis of the Irish PMIs until now. So here's a look at the latest numbers.

Services PMI slipped slightly from the dizzying 'knowledge development box'-induced highs of 62.5 in January (62.6 in December) to still dizzying 61.4 in February. The slip-up is a minor hiccup on otherwise uninterrupted 'walk along the ceiling' the series been performing since April 2014. 3mo average performance of 62.2 in 3 months through February 2015, compared to already impressive 61.9 for 3mo average through November 2014 and up 1.9 points on vertigo-inducing 3mo average through February 2014.

Of course, these are strange numbers. More telling, probably are m/m changes. In last two months, PMIs posted m/m declines that now fully offset preceding 2 months rises. So things are flat in terms of growth momentum. One wonders how much of the level performance is attained by forex valuations? And how much is attained by MNCs activities in a handful of sub-sectors, as opposed to the firms trading in the indigenous economy? How much of the activity is down to tax optimising activities of the MNCs vs how much of it is down to actual and real activity by the MNCs? Alas, we won't ever know the answer to these questions.

Reports don't mention forex or currency valuations. Investec did comment that increases in employment were recorded in all four of the "segments of the services industry surveyed by this report (TMT, Business Services, Transport & Leisure and Financial Services)". But we have no comparatives or even levels reported to us on employment or any other subcomponent of PMIs anymore.

Manufacturing PMI, meanwhile, posted an acceleration in growth from 55.1 in January 2015 to 57.5 in February 2015, more than offsetting m/m loss of 1.8 points in January 2015. 3mo average through February 2015 was 56.5, which is marginally stronger than 3mo average through November 2014 at 56.2 and 3.4 points ahead of 3mo average through February 2014.

Again, we have no idea what is driving these strong figures and what the breakdown is between MNCs and indigenous firms. How much of this performance down to 'contract manufacturing' - a new MNCs trick that is so distorting our national accounts, even IMF had to comment on it? How much is down to usual activities of double-Irish-knowledge-box etc?

Chart combining the two indices (in terms of their deviations from 50.0 expansion line):

And a chart showing continued close co-movement in two sectors PMIs along with evolution y/y and 24 months:

Overall: numbers are high and impressive. Questions remain as to what these numbers are really telling us, but on their surface they do suggests that somewhere serious growth is happening in something. May this translate into real growth in the Domestic Demand...

2/2/15: Irish Manufacturing PMI: January 2015

Markit/Investec Irish Manufacturing PMI is out for January, posting 55.1, down on 56.9 in December and the lowest reading in any month since May 2014. Still, 55.1 is a strong performance.

3mo MA is now at 56.1 which is slightly worse than 56.5 3mo reading through October 2014, but is ahead of 55.7 average for 12 months through January 2015.

The growth rate is slowing down, but the activity remains robust:

6/1/2015: Irish PMIs December 2014: Strong End to 2014 Activity

Markit-Investec Irish PMIs releases were finalised today with Services data made public few minutes ago. Here is my quick analysis:

• December 2014 Manufacturing PMI reading stood at 56.9, signaling a strong expansion. The index was at a 4-months high. 3mo average (Q4 average) stood at 56.7, which represents a rise on Q3 2014 average of 56.1. Q4 2014 marked the highest quarter in terms of Manufacturing PMI average. The series are now 4.5 points ahead of post-crisis average.
• December 2014 Services PMI reading stood at 62.6, which, as Markit commentary says is a tie with June 2014 reading for the highest mark since February 2007. It is worth noting that September 2014 reading of 62.5 was, of course, statistically indistinguishable from December and June readings. 3mo average through December (Q4 average) is at 61.9, which is only marginally below Q3 and Q2 averages of 62.1. Relative to longer-period average, December reading is 7.1 points ahead of post-crisis average for the series.

Chart to illustrate:

Predictably, given the levels of both indices, there is some moderation in the growth rate of the index (second derivative, effectively):

Which is not a discouraging sign, as historically, the indices do signal strong growth in both sectors:

And as the chart above shows, uplift in Manufacturing is very strong, relative to historical trends. All good signals so far, but do stay tuned for some longer-range analysis later.

Note: as usual, I do not cover composition of the indices, as Investec refuses to supply actual data on indices components.  Should you want to consult their sell-side analysis, feel free to do so at http://www.markiteconomics.com/Public/Page.mvc/PressReleases

3/12/2014: Irish Services PMI: November

Strong Services PMI performance for Ireland in November with Markit/Investec PMI index for the sector rising to 61.6 from already boiling-high of 61.5 in October. This marks ninth (!) consecutive month of readings above 60.0 (not just 50.0) and the 12mo MA through November is currently running at a massive 61.4.

Shorter-term dynamics are very positive: 3mo MA through November is at 61.9 and this is only marginally lower than 3mo MA through August 2014 at 62.1. The numbers are simply surreally good.

The trend is very similar in Manufacturing (see chart below and note here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2014/12/1122014-irish-manufacturing-pmi.html).

Without knowing actual details on disaggregation of the total indices, it is hard to say what is going up and at what rate. Furthermore, again due to Markit/Investec refusal to publish actual data details, I have no idea which sectors are rowing what in both services and manufacturing. My suspicion is that we are seeing continued boom in MNCs-dominated sectors, driven in part even higher by the changes in the MNCs-based operations in Ireland away from profit shifting to either profit booking and/or cost centres. In other words, instead of shifting profits via Ireland to offshore locations, many MNCs are starting to book costs into Ireland or park profits here. All of these activities are net positive for GDP and GNP, albeit of dubious benefit to those of us living here.