Weekly Report: what happened at XRT last week (0415-0419)?

Wells Fargo sees growing concerns about consumers as key earnings takeaway

Consumers Binge Despite Higher Interest Rates, And The Fed Watches Them Nervously

Retail sales in March increased by 0.7% seasonally adjusted, with a year-over-year jump of 4.0%. Total retail sales jumped 10.1% in March from February to $712 billion. Ecommerce, food services, and general merchandise retailers were the biggest drivers of growth.

U.S. Retail Sales Rack Up Solid March Numbers

U.S. Retail sales smashed expectations in March, with total sales up 0.7% and ex-autos up 1.1%. Non-store retailers and bars and restaurants saw the biggest year/year increase. Five out of the 10 consumer-related industries have turned positive. The latest retail sales data reflects strong consumer buying.

U.S. Household Spending Holds Firm

Retail sales beat all expectations. US retail sales rose a very robust 0.7% month-on-month in March versus 0.4% expected. With jobs, inflation, and activity all beating expectations, the Federal Reserve is in no position to cut interest rates. We expect spending and inflation to slow, but the Fed won't be contemplating rate cuts.

Retail rallies after consumers keep spending at a solid pace in March

Exploring Economic Indicators: Inflation and Consumer Sentiment

Weekly Report: what happened at XRT last week (0408-0412)?

Top Seeking Alpha Quant picks in S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary sector ahead of earnings

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF (XLY) has underperformed the S&P 500 in the past 12 months. The consumer discretionary sector had the largest net selling and was among the worst-performing sectors last week. Goldman Sachs expects strong 1Q EPS growth in the consumer discretionary industry. The sector's growth has been slower than other industries due to inflation and interest rate spikes.

Warehouse Clubs Operator PriceSmart Soars on Strong Q2, Rewards Shareholders With Special Dividend

PriceSmart, Inc. Reported second-quarter FY24 results. Revenue increased 13.1% Y/Y to $1.29 billion. The company distributed excess cash to stockholders through a special dividend. PriceSmart plans to open its ninth warehouse club in Costa Rica in 2025.

Celsius, Starbucks, McDonald's and e.l.f Beauty stand out in survey of teenagers

Piper Sandler released its 47th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens survey on Tuesday. In footwear, Nike's Converse brand lost market share to New Balance. Celsius, Starbucks, McDonald's and e.l.f Beauty stand out in the survey of teenagers.

Consumer discretionary was the most net sold sector last week - GS

Consumer discretionary was the most net sold sector last week. Goldman Sachs’ U.S. Equities Weekly Rundown report. The sector’s underperformance was driven by long-and-short sales of a ratio of about 4 to 1. Seven of the 11 sectors were net sold last week and among the worst performing sectors.

5 Favorite Sector ETFs of Q1 Earnings

Weekly Report: what happened at XRT last week (0401-0405)?

ETFs to Gain & Lose From Higher Oil Price

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin Rally Looks Tired, But These AI, Big Data Coins Are Heroes Of The Day Says Market Intelligence Platform

Market intelligence platform, Santiment, says AI and Big Data cryptocurrencies are experiencing a notable surge. Robonomics.network has surged by 33%, Bridge Oracle by 21%, and Only1 by 20%. The advancements in AI technology are likely to benefit the projects on this watchlist.

Apparel stocks undermined by downbeat outlook from PVH

Consumer Apparel stocks undermined by downbeat outlook from PVH Corp. (PVH) The parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger is down by another 23% on the heels of disappointing Q1 and 2024 guidance. V.F. Corporation (VFC) down 6%, Ralph Lauren (RL) and Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) are also in the red.

Weekly Report: what happened at XRT last week (0325-0329)?

Resurging Corporate Profits Show Inflationary Pressures Are Reheating After Lull: Corporate Profits By Major Industry

Home Market Outlook Economy Analysis Resurging Corporate Profits Show Inflationary Pressures Are Reheating After Lull. Corporate pre-tax profits in all non-financial domestic industries combined jumped by 5.6% in Q4 from Q3. The spike in profitability in inflationary times is a sign that companies hiked prices much faster than their costs.

Unpopular Opinion: GDP Doesn’t Matter

U.S. Fourth-quarter GDP was revised up to 3.4% for the fourth quarter. Michael Gayed says GDP doesn’t really matter. He says the stock market is more often driving GDP than the economy. Retail stocks and small-cap stocks have been underperforming in recent years, he says.