January's retail sales, like the months' jobs report and consumer price index, were higher than expected. But stocks don't seem concerned anymore.
with crypto, meme stocks, and unprofitable companies responding best to Fed communications," said JPMorgan's Marko Kolanovic, who correctly called the March 2020 bottom. He warned that "this divergence cannot go further."It's as if investors aren't concerned about inflation and higher interest rates anymore. Strength in the U.S. economy — which would imply further rate hikes — has been translating into gains in the markets.
Yesterday I mentioned how sustained consumer spending might be propping up the economy. Indeed, the year-over-year increase in January's retail sales — 6.4% — is exactly the same number as the year-on-year rise in the consumer price index. It appears that the prospect of sustained economic growth is injecting optimism into stocks too. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.11%, the S&P 500 added 0.28% and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.92%.
Recent economic activity and market movement are forcing economists and investors to reconsider the effect of interest rates. The higher cost of borrowing typically slows economic growth by curtailing spending and increasing unemployment which, in turn, depress stocks.
This topsy-turvy relationship between higher interest rates and a pickup in economic activity is causing some investors, such as the founder of Santori Fund, Dan Niles, to predict that the Federal Reserve might raise rates higher than 6%. And if the price of everything keeps rising even then? It's hard to imagine what the Fed would do next.
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