Highlights
The U.S. Gulf Coast is bracing for the tropical storm Francine. It is expected to become a category 2 hurricane and make landfall in Louisiana this evening according to the National Hurricane Center. Crude oil, natural gas facilities, and barge loading/unloading operations have been scaling back and evacuating some sites.
Francine's track is expected to move up the Mississippi River into Southern Illinois. As it heads north, the winds will slow down to mid-40 mph over central Mississippi and southeast Arkansas. Winds will be down to 25 mph when it reaches Memphis on Thursday.
China’s stock market was up 0.22% yesterday. August export numbers were released showing China’s August exports for 8.7% more than August 2023 and the highest in 17 months. Imports were disappointing, but they were up 0.5% over a year ago. Two years ago, China announced programs to make China more self-sufficient and it looks like they are doing just that.