Morning Report: Retail sales rise

Vital Statistics:

Stocks are higher this morning as the Fed begins its meeting. Bonds and MBS are up.

Retail Sales rose 0.1% MOM in August, according to the Census Bureau. This was better than the -0.3% expectation. July retail sales were revised upward by 0.1% to 1.1%. On a year-over-year basis, they rose 2.1%. Since these numbers are not adjusted for inflation, retail sales actually fell slightly YOY on an inflation-adjusted basis.

If you strip out vehicles and gasoline, retail sales rose 0.2% MOM and 3.3% YOY. This was a touch above inflation. Overall, it looks like the consumer remains in decent shape as we head into the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons.

The Fed begins their FOMC meeting today. The Fed Funds futures have been more volatile than I can remember before a Fed meeting. The current handicapping has a 2/3 chance of a 50 basis point cut and a 1/3 chance of 25.

CNBC’s survey of money managers is leaning 86% towards a 25 basis point cut, FWIW. “We believe that the equivalent of eight cuts in six meetings is more than what will happen,″ John Donaldson, director of fixed income, Haverford Trust Co. wrote in response to the survey. “That forecast is more in line with a hard landing than a soft landing.”

Barry Knapp from Ironsides Macroeconomics says, “We suspect the FOMC will either under-promise or under-deliver, perhaps both.”

The December futures are still predicting a total 125 basis points in cuts this year.

Home prices rose 0.5% MOM in August, according to research from Redfin. On a year-over-year basis, they rose 6.7%. “Prices kept creeping up during this unusually slow summer for home sales as mortgage rates came down and supply remained stubbornly low,” said Redfin Senior Economist Sheharyar Bokhari. “If mortgage rates fall further this fall—and we expect they will—price growth will likely pick up as more prospective homebuyers come off the sidelines .”

24 Responses

  1. lol!

    “Remember, as I said, he lives with this specter of illegitimacy,” she said. “He knows more about how he got really elected than we still do. Hopefully, we’ll learn more in the years ahead.”

    Gawd, Trump engages in such conspiracy theories!

    https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2024/09/18/hillary-clinton-who-spread-election-propaganda-for-years-wants-to-jail-americans-for-misinformation-n2179436

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  2. I read this piece and though of the When Harry Met Sally Exchange:

    Harry: There are two types of women. High maintenance and low maintenance.

    Sally: Which one am I?

    Harry: “You’re the worst kind. You think you are low maintenance, but you are high maintenance”

    https://www.pressermag.com/september-2024/the-left-has-an-authoritarian-problem

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  3. It takes a heart of stone not to laugh at this.

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  4. Look, dude was just misunderstood.

    Trump needs to stop what he’s doing, forcing good, patriotic men to do extreme things in defense of Liberty.

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  5. Live like the 19th century, peasant.

    Or, if the water rises, move a few feet farther away. Also, maybe the Sahara will become fertile.

    just spitballing.

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  6. Amusing:

    Former N.Y.C. Covid Czar Partied While Preaching Social Distancing

    In a hidden-camera video posted by a conservative podcaster, Dr. Jay K. Varma boasts about flouting the public health guidelines he insisted others follow.

    By Sarah Maslin Nir

    Sept. 19, 2024

    Updated 9:25 p.m. ET

    The official in charge of New York City’s pandemic response participated in sex parties and attended a dance party underneath a Wall Street bank during the height of the pandemic, even as he was instructing New Yorkers to stay home and away from others to stop the spread of Covid-19. He acknowledged his transgressions on Thursday after being caught on hidden camera boasting about his exploits.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/nyregion/dr-jay-varma-nyc-covid.html

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  7. Dude!

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  8. Now it can be told

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  9. This is just so evil!

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  10. Welp, that sells it for me.

    It’s going to be a landslide for Harris because of this endorsement. Americans love, respect and, most importantly, trust the IRS.

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  11. Interesting piece on a lawsuit against Pharmacy Benefit Managers:

    https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-lina-khan-pharma

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    • The article does a good job explaining what is happening with the rebates but fails to note that much of the rebate money is used to lower premiums for the insurance companies various Medicare plans – if that were to end, those plans premiums would skyrocket. I suspect, much like attempts to reign in 340b issues, the lawsuits are kabuki designed to pacify the rubes. Government subsidy of insurance companies and hospitals will continue through these types of schemes. It’s just to unpalatable to literally have line items in the Federal budget for billions of dollars for Aetna and United and for entities like Atrium and Common Spirit.

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  12. To good to fact check.

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Be kind, show respect, and all will be right with the world.