Retail Sales’ Strong Beat

Retail sales came in roughly double the Street’s estimates at 0.7% versus consensus of 0.3-0.4%. Ex-auto was just as strong: 1.1% versus 0.5% consensus. Combined with an Empire State Manufacturing index disappointment of -14.3 versus -6.0 expected, futures sold off for all of 30 seconds or so before rebounding to higher highs. The retail sales … continue reading →

PPI Comes in Hot, Too

February PPI came in at twice expectations: 0.6% versus 0.3%.  In a replay of the CPI print, stocks dipped for a few seconds before resuming their overnight ramp as algos were more focused on VIX dropping through its 50-DMA just in time for OPEX. VIX did pop above the 50-DMA…for several seconds. It got better.Indicators … continue reading →

Retail Sales Warn of Economic Woes

Retail sales plunged 0.8% in January, far below estimates of -0.2% and last month’s +0.4%. The miss can’t be attributed solely to seasonality, as the Jan 2023 print was a massive +3.7% gain. The annual gain from Jan 2024 was a meager 0.6%. It has been a tough week for economic data. Inflation higher than … continue reading →

All Eyes on CPI

This is one of the biggest weeks for economic data in quite some time. We get October CPI tomorrow, PPI and retail sales on Wednesday, initial claims on Thursday, and housing starts and permits on Friday.  Of all these data, CPI looms largest for the markets. Recall that September core CPI came in at 4.1% … continue reading →

Blowout Retail Sales Nudge Rates Higher

We’ve stuck stubbornly to our forecast for the 10Y to reach 4.75 for nearly a year, betting that sticky inflation would force the Fed’s hand. We came within 6 bps of new highs this morning after retail sales soared 0.7% (expected 0.4%) in July. Futures held on to their lows, though the pre-opening shenanigans haven’t … continue reading →

Retail Sales Miss

April retail sales came in at 0.4% versus expectations of 0.8%, underscoring the notion that the economy isn’t nearly as strong as the market would have you believe. Futures, already off slightly, have added to their losses. It remains to be seen, however, whether the propping up of equities in advance of OPEX and the … continue reading →