So far, it looks like Wall Street is on pace for … well … exactly the kind of year analysts thought it would have. Can stocks find fresh tailwinds in May? Will investors opt to buy rather than sell given some solid fundamental indicators of late? There definitely seems to a sentiment that the U.S. economy is growing stronger and stronger, and improving jobs data and a spring pickup in home sales would add to that perception. Read more in our May economic update.
If you’re a woman, your odds of becoming a centenarian are seemingly better than those of men. Statistics carry a message – women need to pay themselves first.
Domestically, some very good news emerged on a few fronts. Consumer spending and consumer incomes were both up 0.3% for February, echoing the (revised) January increases earlier reported by the Commerce Department. February also saw retail sales improve 0.3% – the first gain in three months. Households didn’t have to contend with much inflation, and for that matter wholesalers didn’t either. However, March marked the end of the first quarter, and it was a mediocre quarter for stocks with the S&P 500 rising little more than a percent. Read more in our April economic update.