Hi Everyone,
With the drama of the past few weeks temporarily behind us, I want to take a look at one of the primary reasons we continue to see strength in the U. S. equity markets. . .
the Consumer.
~Susan
Shop or Drop
“Acknowledging the consumer’s leading role in keeping the U.S. economy moving forward in recent years, revenue and profit trends within the consumer discretionary sector will be very influential on overall U.S. stock market performance in the quarters to come.” ~Michael G. Thompson, S&P Global Markets Intelligence 10/18/2013
The discretionary sector has been a leader over the last 5 years and the equity bull market may be quite dependent on it.
Advertising to Tires
The Consumer Discretionary sector is vast and includes almost everything from advertising to tires:
Electronics
Furniture
Restaurants
Casinos
Automobiles & Parts
Clothing & Shoes
Home Improvement
Computers
The Next Few Quarters
“The U.S. consumer is only empowered to the extent that they are underpinned by positive fundamentals such as the number of new jobs created and increasing household wages. For this and other reasons relating to the likelihood and magnitude of “tapering” conducted by the Federal Reserve over the course of 2014, we will continue to closely follow U.S. labor market developments in the months ahead.” ~Michael G. Thompson 10/18/2013
Cautiously optimistic,
Susan R. Linkous
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which investments may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results.