In our Consumer Watch for July, positive news flows outweighed the negatives. Notable positive data came from the Barclays Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which rose to 53.7 index points and marked the fourth consecutive month it has remained above the neutral 50-point mark. On the negative side, new vehicles sales continued to show weakness and inflation rose in June. Other positive news flows include a drop in civil summonses, a slowdown in liquidations and improving house prices.
