Gold hit a yearly high of $1,380- yesterday. That is a 11% increase since January 2014 (60 day rolling Jan 16 to Mar 17).
I only mention this as when gold rises investors are moving moneys from perceived more risky investments to perceived less risky investments.
Consumer confidence fell in moderately in February to January (2014) so it will be interesting to see what happens when March numbers come in.
March is also the end of Q1 (First Quarter) for 2014. By the middle of April we will have a much clearer picture of where the US economy is going.
> First step into a recession
> Sluggish to little GDP growth
> Moderate GDP growth
Pick out 3-5 large retailers and manufactures then read their quarterly results and future expectations. It might be fun to keep track here. In order to do that pick out 3-5 retailers and likewise manufactures and post here. Once I get a consensus I will post their numbers and we can watch their progress (or not) over the next 12 months.
Some suggestions:
Retail Manufactures
Walmart GMC
Krogers GE
West Marine Patagonia
Home Depot Stanley
Rite Aide Hallmart
Other suggestions?