BY: MARSHALL BARTLETT
Senior Vice President / Portfolio Manager
(615) 591-0611 mbartlett@argenttrust.com
Announced this morning, Retail Sales increased 0.6% in March, a much needed rebound from the 0.1% decrease the previous month. The control group, which excludes autos and gas prices, increased 0.4%. Solid figures for March, following weakness earlier in 2018. With consumer spending comprising nearly 70% of GDP, retail sales is an important component of whether economic growth moves higher and inflation remains under control. Hopefully the Federal Reserve can maintain this balance with their expected interest rate increases this year. In all, equity futures are higher this morning heading into the market open.
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