Core Insights - Americans express optimism about the overall economy, yet they feel less confident about their personal financial situations, indicating a disconnect between general economic sentiment and individual financial health [1] Group 1 - The article highlights that consumer confidence in the economy is high, with many Americans believing that the economy is improving [1] - Despite the positive outlook on the economy, a significant portion of Americans report feeling financially strained, which could lead to potential challenges in consumer spending [1] - The disparity between general economic optimism and personal financial concerns may pose risks for businesses relying on consumer spending [1]

Joining me now is Venu Krisha Barker's head of US strategy, equity strategy specifically. Thank you so much for being here with us. I'd love to talk about some of your changes. Let's talk about downgrading uh value to negative and your worries there.>> Yeah, I think you know we have been consistently positive on growth. So, and growth as you know is really dominated by technology where uh not just overall profitability but uh the scale of the beats of earnings continues. value other on the other hand has ex ...

Holiday Spending Trends - Conference Board expects overall holiday spending to be slightly down, differing from NRF's narrower focus on retail [2] - Spending decrease is concentrated among younger, cash-strapped consumers [2] - Younger consumers plan to spend in November due to deals, impacting retail margins [3][4] Consumer Sentiment and Economic Factors - Consumer confidence index has been relatively stable, awaiting inflation relief and trade deal progress [5][6] - Jobs are stable and wages are rising, providing consumers with cash despite high debt levels [6] - Consumers will be selective in their purchases [7] Inflation and Travel - Tariffs are projected to impact inflation by approximately 50 basis points in the latter part of the year [11] - 70% of consumers are avoiding travel, similar to last year, due to inflation and travel difficulties [11] - Easing travel restrictions could lead to increased spending [12] Consumer Behavior - Consumers may spend more than surveys indicate if they have cash or access to debt [9] - A spending bump is expected in January when sales begin [10]

It was a conj job. Affordability, they call it, was a conjob by the by the Democrats. The Democrats are good at a few things.Cheating on elections and conning people with facts that aren't true. They said, "Oh, I don't want to talk about affordability." The reason I don't want to talk about affordability is because everybody knows that it's far less expensive under Trump than it was under Sleepy Joe Biden. And the prices are way down.As President Trump on Friday, calling the Democratic Party's focus on affo ...

Core Insights - The article discusses the impact of weakening consumer sentiment on retail stocks, highlighting the importance of consumer behavior over sentiment surveys [2][5][17] - The National Retail Federation anticipates a record holiday spending season, projecting over $1 trillion in spending, a 4% increase from the previous year [6][17] Retail Sector Overview - The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment survey recorded the second-lowest reading in history, indicating a significant decline in consumer confidence [2][5] - Despite negative sentiment, historical trends suggest that consumer spending may not decline as sharply as sentiment indicates [8][17] Key Retail Stocks to Watch - **Walmart (WMT)**: The stock has shown resilience, steadily increasing since April and maintaining a bullish momentum with its 50-day moving average trending upwards [11][12] - **Target (TGT)**: The stock is underperforming, nearing six-year lows, and has not shown significant impact on broader market indices due to its smaller market capitalization of $42 billion [13][14] - **Home Depot (HD)**: The stock is in a weaker position compared to Walmart but stronger than Target, facing challenges from high mortgage rates and a sluggish housing market [15][16] Market Trends and Predictions - The retail sector is experiencing mixed signals, with the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) correcting after a significant rise earlier in the year [10][17] - Upcoming earnings reports from major retailers will provide critical insights into consumer spending patterns as the holiday season approaches [7][17]

Michael Bapis. I I'll hit you first here as we uh go towards the closure about two minutes, three minutes away or so. You say there's a lot of cautious optimism in markets.I'll give you there's like volatility came back last week, but do you you feel there's a lot of caution. Look, I think one of the key themes that we're looking at is the battle between, you know, consumer spending and consumer consumer sentiment being down and like you just said, strong equity markets. I mean, we're getting to more now wh ...

Economic Overview - Last week's economic data presented mixed signals, with consumer sentiment dropping to a near-record low and the manufacturing sector continuing its contraction, while the services sector showed signs of expansion [1] - The S&P 500 experienced its first weekly loss in over a month, declining by 1.6% [10] Employment Data - The October ADP employment report indicated that the private sector added 42,000 jobs, surpassing the expected addition of 32,000 jobs, following a loss of 29,000 jobs in September [3] - Job gains were primarily driven by the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, which added 47,000 jobs, with large companies contributing significantly by adding 74,000 jobs [4] Consumer Sentiment - The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell over 6% to 50.3, marking its lowest level since 2022 and reflecting a nearly 30% decline compared to the previous year [5][6] - The decline in consumer confidence was widespread, with notable exceptions for consumers with significant stock holdings [6] Inflation Expectations - Near-term inflation expectations slightly increased from 4.6% in October to 4.7% in November, while long-term expectations decreased from 3.9% to 3.6% for the five-year outlook [7] Manufacturing and Services Sector - The U.S. manufacturing sector contracted for the eighth consecutive month, with the ISM Manufacturing PMI falling to 48.7, indicating a faster rate of contraction [8] - Conversely, the U.S. services sector returned to expansion with the ISM Services PMI rising to 52.4, marking its highest level since February and indicating eight months of expansion this year [9] Market Reactions - The S&P 500 saw fluctuations, ultimately closing down 1.6%, with the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) reflecting the same decline [10] - The 10-year Treasury yield ended the week at 4.11%, while the 2-year note finished at 3.55% [10] Federal Reserve Outlook - The CME FedWatch Tool indicates a 66% likelihood of a 25 basis point rate cut at the next Federal Reserve meeting, with markets anticipating two additional cuts in 2026 [11] Upcoming Economic Data - The ongoing government shutdown has delayed key economic indicators, including the Consumer and Producer Price Indices and Retail Sales report, leading to a light economic calendar for the week ahead [12][13]

Job Market Analysis - The job market is significantly better than reported [1] Consumer Sentiment - Consumer sentiment is significantly better than reported [1] Media Coverage - The media is not incentivized to cover the positive aspects of the job market and consumer sentiment due to lack of clicks [1]

🚨 ALERT: US consumer sentiment has crashed to its 2nd-lowest level in history, per The Kobeissi Letter. https://t.co/QOJiupWkYn ...

>> THIS IS "BALANCE OF POWER" LIVE FROM WASHINGTON DC JOE: FROM BLOOMBERG WASHINGTON, D.C.'S TO OUR TV AND RADIO AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE, WELCOME TO "BALANCE OF POWER. " ALONGSIDE TYLER KENDALL, I AM JOE MATHIEU. THE DISRUPTIONS BEGAN. THE IMPACTED AIRPORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AFTER FLIGHTS ARE REDUCED IN 40 MAJOR CITIES AND IT ALL COMES BACK TO THE ONGOING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYING MOMENTS AGO THE SENATE SHOULD NOT LEAVE TOWN UNTIL THEY HAVE A DEAL. WE WILL SPEAK TO OUR REPORTERS IN WASHI ...