Quick Overview

• The U.S. Labor Department said that YoY consumer prices were up 4.1% in July. Excluding food and energy, prices were up 2.7% YoY.
  

• Chinese fixed-asset investment, real estate, factories and utilities, eased to 30.5% YoY in the first seven months of 2006, down from 31.3% in the first half of 2006.

• U.S. Housing starts were at a yearly rate of 1.795 million units in July, down 2.5% from June's pace. For 2006, housing starts were down 5.1% YoY.
  

• U.S. Industrial production was up 0.4% in July, weaker than expected.
  

• YoY Argentina's economy grew 8.2% in June
  

• Mexico's economy grew at 4.7% in the second quarter, boosted by a booming construction industry and a surge in auto exports.
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that::
  Supplies of crude oil were down 1.6 million barrels to 331.0 million barrels.
  Supplies of unleaded gasoline were down 2.3 million barrels
  Supplies of heating oil were down 300,000 barrels.
  

• The World Gold Council said that world demand for gold totaled 802 tons in the second quarter of 2006, down 16% YoY. World mine production totaled 625 tons in the second quarter, up 2.3% YoY.