CHINA/ECONOMY/TRADE WAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The American manufacturing sector contracted last month, a key measure showed on Tuesday [9-3-19], heightening fears that the trade war with China could bring on a recession. Manufacturing accounts for just 11 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, but it is often seen as an economic harbinger. Stocks fell on Wall Street after the release of the report, from the Institute for Supply Management, with the S&P 500 index closing down 0.7 percent…The institute’s manufacturing index was at 49.1 for August, down from 51.2 in July. Anything below 50 is considered a sign of contraction. The index is based on a survey of purchasing and supply managers.”
–Nelson D. Schwartz, “U.S. Manufacturing Slowed in August in Latest Sign of Economic Weakness,” The New York Times online, September 3, 2019