$$ ASA Staffing Continues Surge & Interesting Rail Commentary

ASA Staffing Index continues to yearly highs….

Weekly Report:
Aug. 23–29, 2010

During the week of Aug. 23–29, 2010, temporary and contract employment rose by 1.33%, pushing the index up two points to a value of 97.

At a current index value of 97, U.S. staffing employment is 41% higher than the level reported for the first week of the current year and is 28% higher than the same weekly period in 2009.

Monthly Report:
August 2010

Staffing employment in August is 27% higher than in the same month last year, according to the ASA Staffing Index. The index for August is 95, up four points from 91 for July, suggesting that staffing employment has increased about 4% over the past month.

This signals continued improvement in the non-farm payrolls like we have seen the past three months.

Note: When this falls off a cliff at the end of the year, don’t panic…It does it every year.

Also:

CSX had a investor day today:

CSX Investor Day (click to open .pdf)

The underlying theme of the presentation (omitting what they feel their results will be due to their operating superiority) is that the recovery is in place and should continue into next year. Inventories are low, they are adding crews and their is no (little) excess capacity in the system.

So, now we have continued employment results, KCS’s CEO saying his outlook (and the economy’s) is strong and now CSX backs that view. Together they cover almost 1/2 the US.