With the start of February already a doozy, investors looking for a break should just go into cash and start fishing. The second week of the shortened month promises to be a volatile one as well. While the data remains light this week, what is released does have some significant economic importance.
That data will focus on the health and mindset of the American consumer. Retail sales figures and consumer sentiment will be released this week. Given just how important retail is to the American economy, these figures could move things either way. A series of speeches from Fed Chairwomen Janet Yellen will also sway the markets; any info into the Fed’s mindset will push the markets higher or lower.
On the earnings front, the so-called “earnings season” is still underway and we’ll see plenty of reports from some of the market’s most well-loved stocks. Again, the trend of beating earnings but missing on revenues should persist as well as the reliance on forward guidance estimates.
