Como se combate o populismo? "Com eleições", responde Fukuyama

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10:03am 05/02/05 U.S. APRIL ISM JOB INDEX 52.3% VS 55.2% IN MARCH
10:05am 05/02/05 U.S. APRIL ISM FACTORY INDEX LOWEST SINCE JULY 2003

ECONOMIC REPORT: ISM factory index slips for 5th straight month in April; Index at lowest level since July 2003
By Greg Robb, MarketWatch
Last Update: 10:16 AM ET May 2, 2005

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Factory activity in the United States decelerated for the fifth straight month in April, the Institute for Supply Management reported Monday.

The ISM index fell to 53.3% in April from 55.2% in March. This is the lowest level since July 2003.

The decline was larger than expected. The consensus forecast of estimates collected MarketWatch was for the index to slip to 54.6% in April.

Economists were watching the ISM index closely to see whether the soft-patch the economy hit in March continued into April.

The index remains just over 50%, which indicates that most firms say business is getting better or at least no worse.

New orders fell to 53.7% in April from 57.1% in March.

The employment index fell to 52.3% from 53.3%.

Prices inched lower to 71.0% in April from 73.0% in March.

Inventories fell sharply to 47.9% from 54.1%.


ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. March construction spending rises 0.5%; March outlays beat economists' expectations
By Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch
Last Update: 10:05 AM ET May 2, 2005

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Outlays on U.S. construction projects increased by a stronger-than-anticipated 0.5% in March, the Commerce Department said Monday.

Economists surveyed by MarketWatch were expecting construction spending to rise by 0.2%.

The department said March spending rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.05 trillion.

Spending on private construction rose 0.5% above the revised February estimate of $811.3 billion, while spending on public construction rose 0.3% above the revised February estimate of $236 billion.

Residential, non-residential private construction, educational and highway construction all rose in March, the department said.

The March figure is 8.0% above the $974 billion reported a year earlier.

Residential construction rose 0.3% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $585.3 billion. Spending on nonresidential construction, meanwhile, climbed 1.1% to $230.3 billion, the Commerce Department said.

Spending on educational and highway projects increased in March also. Educational construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $64 billion, 0.4% above the revised February estimate. Spending on highway construction rose 0.4% to $69 billion.

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10:02am 05/02/05 U.S. APRIL ISM MANUFACTURING INDEX 53.3% VS 55.2% MARCH
10:03am 05/02/05 U.S. APRIL ISM MANUFACTURING INDEX BELOW 54.6% EXPECTED
10:02am 05/02/05 U.S. APRIL ISM MANUFACTURING INDEX 53.3% VS 55.2% MARCH

10:00am 05/02/05 U.S. MARCH CONSTRUCTION SPENDING STRONGER THAN EXPECTED 0.3%
10:00am 05/02/05 U.S. MARCH CONSTRUCTION SPENDING UP 0.5