Retail Sales Plunge

January retail sales tumbled to a negative 0.9% versus the positive 0.1% expected and last month’s +0.7%. Combined with hotter than expected inflation data the past two days, it’s not a good look for equities. Futures, however, are ignoring the data – which will only worsen with the effects expected from increasing tariffs. continued for … continue reading →

Tariffs: Just Kidding

Shortly after insisting that there was nothing which could prevent tariffs against Canada and Mexico, Trump called off the tariffs. No amount of political or diplomatic pressure had worked. But, the market – which Trump dearly cares about – called BS on the assertion that tariffs aren’t inflationary. The S&P500’s 2% gap down was apparently … continue reading →