It has been a long wait… yet it keeps eluding. Six years into the current expansion, U.S. wages are yet to pick up speed. Yes, companies ranging from Wal-Mart (WMT) to Aetna (AET) to Starbucks (SBUX) to Target (TGT) have … Continued
As expected, Fed Chair Janet Yellen, in her Humphrey-Hawkins testimony yesterday, reiterated what she, and other Fed officials, have been saying for a while. They are data dependent, and if data cooperate, a rate hike is coming later this year. … Continued
June U.S. auto sales 17.1mn units, preceded by cycle high of 17.7mn in May Auto loans nearing $1tn; sharp rise since 3Q10; non-revolving consumer credit $2.5tn Potential problems in autos: extension of average maturity and rise in average amount financed … Continued
The SPDR Consumer Discretionary ETF (XLY) finds itself at a crucial juncture. And those that are short likely have some decisions to make. Heading into today, over the past 12 sessions XLY has made a high of $78.31 and a … Continued
In the right circumstances, U.S. stocks have room to rally – at least in the near-term. After the recent pullback, U.S.-based stock funds attracted $14.1 billion in the week ended July 8 – biggest inflows since mid-December (courtesy of Lipper). … Continued
June’s housing starts will be published this Friday. Month-to-month, this is a volatile series. May was down 11 percent, while April was up 22 percent. Historically, starts remain low. As Chart 1 shows, it is not often the green line … Continued
The following are futures positions of non-commercials as of July 7, 2015. Change is week-over-week. 10-year note: After the June FOMC minutes were released, investors pushed back expectations for the first interest rate hike to March next year. The minutes … Continued
Of late, equity bulls have pulled in their horns. Just a tad. Will they be rewarded for their steadfast bullishness in the near-term? Investors Intelligence’s survey of bulls this week registered at 44.8 percent. This was the sixth sub-50 reading … Continued
U.S. oil-related layoffs so far subdued Not surprising given ~80% rise in crude production past five-plus years Current production level problematic given inventory spike and downward pressure on crude price The spot West Texas Intermediate crude has gone through a … Continued
It has been a while the transports sector has acted like a sick puppy. Yesterday’s action is a welcome change. IYT, the Dow Jones Transportation Average ETF, peaked November 28th last year at $166.55 – much earlier than other major … Continued