VCR News and Press, Vanguard Consumer Discretion From 05/18/22

Retail sales jumped 0.9% in April from March, after having jumped 1.4% in March from February, to $678 billion, and were up 8.2% from a year ago, seasonally adjusted, the Commerce Department reported on Tuesday. Raging inflation has outpaced the income growth of many Americans, and th...

In real terms, total retail sales were up 0.6 percent following a 0.2 percent increase in March and are now showing stronger upward trends. Nonstore retailers and automotive retailers followed with 2.2 percent increases, while food services and drinking establishments (restaurants) ha...

A significant decline in the US retail footprint is imminent as sales continue to shift online, turbocharging the next leg of digital advertising spending in the US. Although the US e-commerce penetration scaled from less than 5% of total retail sales in 2011 to nearly 14% in 2021, it...

Consumer spending rose by 2.7% in Q1, annual rate, adjusted for raging inflation. Gross private domestic investment rose by 2.3% annualized, following the spectacular spike in Q4. Less-catastrophic imports, thereby a less-catastrophic trade deficit, will reduce the drag on GDP. ...

A buy limit order I had set for Ford executed Thursday at $12.25. This was the third of four tranches I’ve purchased for the position. Wells Fargo did me a favor by double-downgrading the stock and slashing the price target from $24 to $12. This caused the stock to sell off...

In addition to rampant inflation in the price of grain and other foodstuffs, the markets are seeing a major supply shortfall of cooking oils, including sunflower and palm oils, that is causing their prices to surge as well. Looking ahead to Q2 2022, 15 retailers issued negative preann...

AIER’s Lagging Indicators index was unchanged for the third consecutive month, holding at 83 in April. Real gross domestic product fell at a 1.4 percent annualized rate in the first quarter versus a 6.9 percent rate of gain in the fourth quarter. The median sales price of a...

With the world facing inflationary and geopolitical hurdles, economic growth is poised to slow. Shares across sectors have been hit hard. Investors in growth stocks must identify companies with the right features to overcome headwinds to earnings. For further details see: ...

McDonald's shares once more are battling to stay above the 200-day moving average. The restaurant chain beat earnings and sales estimates in the first quarter. Earnings and cash flow trends suggest dividend growth will continue. For further details see: McDonald's: Divid...

While there are some issues like unionization, accumulation of debt, and the reemergence of Howard Schultz, Starbucks's growth and free cash flow generation remain strong. The macro-environment favors companies that generate cash now rather than later - Starbucks falls in the first ca...