Despite the recent scare caused by Omicron, the new coronavirus mutation, retailers are hoping consumers will continue spending in December 2021. I like that bet. The National Retail Federation (NRF) is expecting a record holiday season totaling a take of between $843 billion and $859 billion in revenues throughout November 2021 and December 2021. That would be a record year for retailers such as Target, Walmart and Amazon. Time is running out, however, given that we have less than three weeks to go until Christmas Day. Remember, too, that the shopper began picking up gifts earlier than normal this year…
Insights & Advice
Tag: COVID-19 Delta variant
Are mandatory vaccinations legal?
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the broadest measure of economic growth. The U.S. GDP grew 6.4% in the previous quarter. By any standards, that’s a remarkable growth rate. GDP for this quarter has dropped precipitously to a forecasted rate of 3.7%. At the start of the quarter, there were growth expectations of 6.5% from Oxford Economics and Morgan Stanley. Typically, a 3.7% growth rate would be considered exceptional. However, measuring a $21 trillion economy is complicated and includes some mathematical estimates. I won’t run us through the calculation, but here’s the gist of it: the demand had been so significant that…
The back-to-school season
It is not an easy decision. On one hand, consumers want to go out and shop for their children’s upcoming school year. But at the same time, they are concerned that if they do, they might catch the coronavirus. There is no easy answer. The 2021-2022 school year was supposed to usher in a new beginning. As such, retailers are still expecting sales of clothes, school supplies, and college dorm décor items to increase by 5.5% from last year’s depressed Covid-levels. Even so, that still won’t match 2019’s 6.7% increase, but it is getting close, or was until the Delta…
Wild week for stocks
In just one week, the major averages have had a 3% swing from lows to highs. These gyrations go hand in hand with the high level of indecision investors are feeling right now. Can you blame them? Last week, and into the end of the day on Monday, the S&P 500 Index registered a 3% decline. In the next few days, all of those losses were recouped and then some. While investors breathed a sigh of relief, I don’t think we are out of the woods just yet. Most strategists blame the decline in stocks on the free fall in…
A week of surprises keeps investors hopping
There were plenty of reasons why the stock market was a bit jumpy this week. Let’s go through them. Two weeks ago, I wrote that I was worried “that we could suddenly see a spike in new Delta variant cases that impacts economic growth. Remember that less than half of all Americans are fully vaccinated. President Biden, his Chief Medical Advisor, Anthony Fauci, and the Fed are all sounding warnings over this risk, yet the markets are ignoring it.” Investors finally caught on this week and began to realize the risk presented by the Delta variant and its impact on…
Markets grind ever higher
The S&P 500 Index is up 14% so far this year. Most other averages have similar double-digit gains. July is normally a fairly positive month (in general) for equities. Does that mean we can expect equities to continue their bull run through the summer? It certainly looks that way. Any pullbacks in stocks will likely be met by dip buyers. That could limit declines to a manageable level. A sustained rise in interest rates will likely wait until investors know—with certainty—the Fed’s next move. The thinking is that there will be an announcement on tapering bond purchases, which may not…