There is an air of invincibility among equity bulls. A contrarian-minded investor may find this uncomfortably lop-sided, but nothing says it cannot continue in a seasonally favorable period. The recent jump in investor sentiment is yet to translate into consumer … Continued
Yet another week and yet another record in the S&P 500, although the Russell 2000 is not in confirmation. Sentiment is complacent, some metrics frothy. But it can get frothier. This also means buying protection is cheap. The US economy … Continued
US Manufacturing has contracted for three months now. Markets are not a least bit bothered. They are hoping the Fed’s three rate cuts this year would boost a decelerating economy. In the futures market, non-commercials are betting with record net … Continued
Major US equity indices staged a massive reversal last Thursday, with more strength Friday. This probably bodes well for bulls near term. For this to translate into medium-term momentum, investors need to embrace risk-on. Real GDP growth has softened. Four … Continued
US housing increasingly is in the midst of strange dynamics, one hurting the economy and the other potentially helping. Home sales have weakened since reaching a cycle high last November, but this has not much impacted the price. In June, … Continued
U.S. consumers are alive and well. There is both good and bad in this – good now but potentially bad down the road. Consumer spending in December rose 0.4 percent month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $13.7 trillion. … Continued
The importance of consumers in the U.S. economy cannot be stressed enough. Real personal consumption expenditures (PCE) accounted for 68.6 percent of gross domestic product in the third quarter. Five decades ago, PCE’s share was nine points lower. Put another … Continued
One of the hallmarks of the current U.S. recovery has been conflicting signals coming out of the job market. The unemployment rate is low – nearly cut in half from 10 percent in October 2009 to 5.1 percent in August. … Continued
U.S. consumer spending, accounting for >2/3rds of economy, key to growth Over last eight years, bank deposits have grown 80 percent But interest income suppressed due to ZIRP Do consumers always benefit from low interest rates? At first glance, that … Continued