New orders for manufactured durable goods in August increased $11.1 billion or 4.5 percent to $259.6 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up two of the last three months, followed a 1.2 percent July decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.1 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased 2.6 percent. Transportation equipment, also up two of the last three months, led the increase, $10.9 billion or 13.0 percent to $95.3 billion.

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in August, up three of the last four months, increased $1.9 billion or 0.8 percent to $253.1 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent July decrease. Transportation equipment, up two of the last three months, led the increase, $1.6 billion or 1.9 percent to $86.0 billion.

In the week ending September 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 207,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 214,000 to 215,000. The 4-week moving average was 207,000, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 206,250 to 206,500.

• EU Court Will Rule Later on Legality of ECB Bond Purchases

• German Court Had Suggested ECB Bond-Buying Program Might Be Illegal

• Bond-Buying Program Doesn't Exceed Powers of ECB

• The latest development relating to allegations of illicitly moving more than $230 billion out of Russia and other former Soviet states.

EUR/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.1658 (2703)

$1.1624 (2066)

$1.1591 (576)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.1476

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.1447 (2738)

$1.1399 (2978)

$1.1349 (2938)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options and PUT options with the expiration date October, 15 is 95236 contracts (according to data from October, 3) with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,1600 (5401);

GBP/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.3109 (2492)

$1.3074 (1836)

$1.3026 (725)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.2954

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.2893 (2469)

$1.2846 (1938)

$1.2798 (2211)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options with the expiration date October, 15 is 28617 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,3200 (2818);

- Overall open interest on the PUT options with the expiration date October, 15 is 39449 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,2900 (2469);

- The ratio of PUT/CALL was 1.38 versus 1.36 from the previous trading day according to data from October, 3.

* - The Chicago Mercantile Exchange bulletin (CME) is used for the calculation.

** - Open interest takes into account the total number of option contracts that are open at the moment.

• Fed Looking For New Ways To Be More Transparent

• Says He Did Not Speak With Trump After President's Fed Tweets

• Range of Indicators Signal Closeness to Full Employment

• Labor Force Participation Solid Given Aging Population

• U.S. Not In Imminent Danger of Wage Increases Promoting Price Inflation

• No Reason to Think Cycle Can't Continue 'Effectively Indefinitely'

• In trend terms, the balance on goods and services was a surplus of $1,716m in August 2018, an increase of $121m on the surplus in July 2018.

• In seasonally adjusted terms, the balance on goods and services was a surplus of $1,604m in August 2018, an increase of $56m on the surplus in July 2018.

• In seasonally adjusted terms, goods and services credits rose $185m (1%) to $36,562m. Non-monetary gold rose $228m (13%) and rural goods rose $134m (3%). Non-rural goods fell $222m (1%). Net exports of goods under merchanting remained steady at $18m. Services credits rose $45m (1%).