Vice Index – Where the US Economy Stands Today Into 2018

Jon Economy, Market Commentary

US Consumer spending is accelerating again. Just in time for the Holiday Season. Consumer confidence is driving a boost in holiday spending.
November Sees Several Positive Spending Tailwinds
For starters, holiday shopping started early: rather than wait for Black Friday in late November, many retailers started offering sales in early November.
Other positive trends were:
Mild weather: mild weather brings out more shoppers. New iPhone will add to sales Solid macroeconomic conditions: The economy moved at a steady pace. One major headwind was the reversal of the hurricane recovery spending. From auto sales to furniture. Building materials and appliances. Hurricane recovery spending pushed up retail.
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Now it’s reversing and that will be a drag.

This post was published at FinancialSense on 12/12/2017.