Retail Sales Fell in December - WSJ.com.
I've said repeatedly for months, be skeptical of market action and data reporting. This is especially true of any data subject to later revision. It should not be surprising that sales fell slightly or that new jobless claims were higher. The economy is apparently recovering but slowly. As long as there is regulatory uncertainty businesses will be hesitant to hire. Top line growth will be scarce and, in order to meet unreasonable earnings expectations, companies will have to contain costs. The largest cost for most businesses is labor. As long as labor remains concerned about losing jobs, consumers will constrain spending. Vicious cycle but solvable with regulatory clarity.
I've said repeatedly for months, be skeptical of market action and data reporting. This is especially true of any data subject to later revision. It should not be surprising that sales fell slightly or that new jobless claims were higher. The economy is apparently recovering but slowly. As long as there is regulatory uncertainty businesses will be hesitant to hire. Top line growth will be scarce and, in order to meet unreasonable earnings expectations, companies will have to contain costs. The largest cost for most businesses is labor. As long as labor remains concerned about losing jobs, consumers will constrain spending. Vicious cycle but solvable with regulatory clarity.
