(Bloomberg) -- It's been a big week for bullish economic data across the globe, from South Korean exports to European manufacturing figures.
The most important number of the week comes tomorrow: November's U.S. jobs report. The data is expected to highlight a robust labor market that will pave the way for the Federal Reserve to hike rates this month. According to a Bloomberg survey, employers are expected to have added 180,000 workers, compared with 161,000 in October, and the unemployment rate will hold at an eight-year low of 4.9 percent. If these predictions come to pass, it will cap off a good week for the global economy, just as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to usher in a new regime for global financial markets,
Here is a review of some of the positive data released so far:
China's manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 51.7 in November, above market expectations. The index, which is the official gauge of factory output in Asia's largest economy, matched a post-2012 high, driven by monetary and fiscal stimulus.
Manufacturing in the U.S. expanded in November at the fastest pace in five months, underscoring the healthy outlook for domestic consumer demand.
Sentiment among U.S. consumers has held close to the highest level of the year, a boon for spending prospects, according to the weekly Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index, which ticked up very slightly in the week that ended Nov. 27, to 44.9 from 44.8 the week earlier.
In the euro-area, joblessness fell to 9.8 percent in October from a revised 9.9 percent the month prior, the lowest level since July 2009, fueling hopes that an improving labor market in the single-currency bloc will incent consumer spending in the coming months.
Meanwhile, industrial output in the euro-zone accelerated at its strongest pace in almost three years last month, suggesting a weaker euro is stimulating production and export volumes.
In Canada, third-quarter growth surprised to the upside at 3.5 percent. The best quarterly growth rate in two years was driven by household spending on services.
In South Korea, exports rose 2.7 percent year-on-year in November, after a 3.2 percent decline in October. That figure underscores resilient global demand and bolsters the case that external aggregate demand, a weaker yuan, and strong consumer spending in the U.S. will all buoy Chinese exports in the coming months, given the correlation between Asia's integrated supply chains.
In Japan, corporate profits have rebounded by over 11 percent year-on-year, underscoring "a broad pattern around the world (U.S., China, other countries as well) that has seen the 'earnings recession' driven by higher dollar and lower oil/commodities start to roll off without an economic recession," according to a note by Bespoke Investment Group.
What's more, soft manufacturing data this week highlighted a broad-based positive story. As Bespoke points out, PMI readings by IHS Markit for Austria, the Netherlands, and Russia are both at the highest levels since the financial crisis. Meanwhile, purchasing managers indexes for Spain, Italy, France, and Germany are slowly, though, unevenly improving
That's good news for Russia, where manufacturing has staged a contraction of 1 percent in the first 10 months of the year, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, citing the national statistics agency. However, a rebound may be nigh: In the third quarter, the manufacturing PMI rose above the 50 threshold for the first time since 2014, and the latest seasonally-adjusted reading stands at a healthy 53.6, suggesting improving prospects for industrial production and the corporate cycle, more generally.
To contact the author of this story: Sid Verma in London at sverma100@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Joe Weisenthal at jweisenthal@bloomberg.net.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
