JHMC News and Press, John Hancock Multifactor Consumer Discretionary From 04/12/22

AIER’s Leading Indicators Index partially rebounded in March, posting an 8-point rise following a 17-point drop in February and a 13-point gain in January. The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the total number of job opening...

The broader equity categories turned in negative results in Q1. U.S. large-cap stocks, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, held up the best at a decline of 4.6%. Bonds performed worse than many of the equity categories, despite typically being viewed as a safe haven investment. In t...

Inflation expectations have kept the Federal Reserve center stage as they commenced their interest rate rising cycle in March. The war in Ukraine and Omicron’s spread in China impacted inflation and supply chains differently, but both delay supply chain normalization. Regar...

Stock markets fell in the first quarter as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine destabilized the growth outlook, amplified concerns about rising interest rates and unleashed geopolitical risks. While the conflict has created many uncertainties, we believe the impact of persistent infla...

Follow the Money is a series of brief, information-rich posts that I will publish periodically but not on a fixed schedule. After rallying for 9 of the last 11 days, the S&P 500 went from down -13% to down just -3.4%. Growth has been hit hard by the slide in tech stocks this y...

Retail sales continued to grow for the second month even after sizeable revisions in January. February sales were more diversified, which is a testament to a solid rebound in activity as Omicron waned. Maria Solovieva: We expect price pressures to ease in the second half of the ye...

Retail sales have gone up to start the year as Americans keep spending. Americans are spending a lot more money but they're not getting much more for it. despite surging prices, retail sales came in slightly below expectations in February. For further details see: Americ...

Based on new hopes for a peaceful Ukrainian/Russian resolution to their nearly month-long war, the world is cautiously optimistic. Although China has been trying to help Russia avoid economic sanctions, China is struggling with its own debt problems from Evergrande, slowing economic g...

New lockdowns in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Shenzhen presage more supply disruptions for companies and higher prices for consumers. As items from electronics to cars become ever more expensive or unavailable, households will revert to pre-pandemic habits and focus their non-esse...

February and January are the worst months of the year for retailers, after the huge holiday season binge. Retail sales are sales of goods, both durable goods and nondurable goods. The number of used vehicles sold to retail customers in February dropped by 7% year-over-year. ...