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Consumer Keeps Looking Stronger as Other Parts of the Economy Soften

Consumer Keeps Looking Stronger as Other Parts of the Economy Soften

The U.S. consumer keeps roaring ahead, even as investors worry about President Trump's trade war against China. Consumer spending rose 4.7 percent between April and June, according to the Commerce Department's gross domestic product (GDP). That was not only a big...

Safe Haven No More? Health Care’s Not Feeling So Great

Safe Haven No More? Health Care’s Not Feeling So Great

Everyone's focused on tariffs and the global economy. But another potential risk may be emerging: worsening price action in the health-care sector. Key companies in the SPDR Health Care ETF (XLV) have tried to rally on good news lately, but failed. For example:...

Trade War Escalates as China and Trump Exchange Blows

Trade War Escalates as China and Trump Exchange Blows

So much for a quiet Friday in August. The drama started early today when China slapped tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. goods. S&P 500 futures (@ES) fell 25 points. About 2-1/2 hours later President Donald Trump hinted in a tweet that he viewed Chinese leader Xi...

Retailers Rebound as Earnings Season Ends on a Strong Note

Retailers Rebound as Earnings Season Ends on a Strong Note

Retail stocks rebounded from a selloff last week as investors shrugged off tariff fears and looked for strong earnings into the holidays. Target (TGT), Home Depot (HD), Lowe's (LOW) and Nordstrom (JWN) are among the market's biggest gainers in the last week. Some had...

Housing Rallies as Lower Rates Make Investors View the Glass as Half Full

Housing Rallies as Lower Rates Make Investors View the Glass as Half Full

Last week, low interest rates freaked out investors. Now they're helping boost an important part of the U.S. economy: housing. The iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) has climbed 4 percent so far this week -- more than triple the gain of the broader S&P 500....

Retailers Crash as Unsold Merchandise Piles Up: Earnings This Week

Retailers Crash as Unsold Merchandise Piles Up: Earnings This Week

Retail earnings are off to a bearish start as unsold merchandise piles up and shopping centers go quiet. Macy's (M) started things on a bearish foot yesterday. Not only did profit, revenue and guidance miss estimates. The tone of its release was also dismal: "Rising...

The Yield Curve Inverted, and the Bears Are Going to Work

The Yield Curve Inverted, and the Bears Are Going to Work

The big story today is that weak economic numbers overseas caused the yield curve to invert. That means the yield on 10-year Treasury bonds fell below the two-year rate. Stocks, especially financials, are crashing as a result. The "inverted curve" is a potentially big...

Trader Fears Reversal In Key Gold Miner: Options Recap

Trader Fears Reversal In Key Gold Miner: Options Recap

Have gold miners gone from safe havens to risky stocks? One options trader seems to think so. Put volume is surging to a 4-1/2 year high in Newmont Mining (NEM), the world's biggest gold producer. Traders started buying the 23-August 37 puts shortly before lunch,...

Grains Crash with Corn Glut Expected to Worsen

Grains Crash with Corn Glut Expected to Worsen

Grains are crashing on signs of a worsening commodity glut. CBOT Corn Futures (@C) dropped more than 6 percent halfway through Monday's session. The last time it fell that much was April 1, 2013, according to TradeStation's historical data. Wheat (@W) is down a...