- There's more confirmation that consumers are doing the heavy lifting in the U.S. to prop up GDP while business investment falls short.
- "Consumer confidence improved in August to its highest level in nearly a year, after a marginal decline in July," noted The Conference Board director Lynn Franco.
- Some analysts think the slowdown in auto sales is freeing up some spending in other areas, although certain sectors that rely on foot traffic (restaurants, department stores) aren't necessarily seeing the bounce.
- Companies that line up neatly with millennial trends seem to be the ones making the outrageous gains in the retail sector. Ulta Salon (NASDAQ:ULTA), Domino's Pizza (NYSE:DPZ), Burlington Stores (NYSE:BURL), and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) come to mind -- with the four generating returns ranging from 40% to 60% over the last year.
- ETFs: XLY, XRT, VCR, RTH, RETL, FXD, FDIS, RCD, PEZ, PMR, PSCD, JHMC.