Posts Tagged ‘Consumer Sentiment’
Down Data
Retail sales fell a surprisingly large 0.4% in March, the biggest decline since 6/12 and the preliminary University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment declined to 72.3 in April from 78.6 in March. Worse, February retail sales were cut by 0.1% and January sales by 0.3%. This shows that the payroll tax increase is starting…
Read MoreWeek in Review
Small business became much more pessimistic in November with the major small business index tumbling 5.6 points, the steepest one-month decline in history! Consumers are slightly more optimistic with retail sales climbing 0.3% in November, offsetting the 0.3% decline in October. Elsewhere, inflation is in check at the headline, intermediate, and crude stages and industrial…
Read MoreGoing Nowhere
If you were worried the economy might be treading water, relax, it is. Consumer spending is flat, consumer confidence and manufacturing activity are down and jobless claims are up. Moreover, a key index of leading economic indicators fell two of the last three months and corporate earnings growth has all but stalled. New home sales…
Read MoreDebate’s Effect on Sentiment
The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell to 54.9 (the lowest level since the recession of ‘81)! This reading is, I think, a result of the corrosive debt ceiling debate; not due to chronic problems like high unemployment and the poor economy. If I am right, the index will largely bounce back next month…
Read MoreConsumer Sediment
The good: University of Michigan consumer sentiment index (a nat’l index) improved more than forecast in May. It’s at 72.4 up from 69.8 in April. The Bad: Economist had predicted 70. The Ugly: This reading is below the avg of 73.9 that we see in RECESSIONS and light years away from the 90 avg during…
Read MoreBetter Sentiments
Consumer sentiment came in better than expected in Feb at 75.1 but the expectations component which leads spending growth fell to 67.6 from 69.3 in Jan and all the gains in consumer confidence were in the high income segment; soaring to 88.2 in Feb from 80.7. Sentiment among the lowest income group fell from 72.1…
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