The stock market came into the holiday-shortened week Tuesday on an uncertain note, with rapidly developing events in Ukraine showing how serious investors are about conflict with Russia. As of 8:15 a.m. ET, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) were down 63 points to 33,944. S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) futures had declined 6 points to 4,338, while Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) futures were down 71 points to 13,925.
The consumer economy makes up a huge part of overall business activity in the U.S., and while the COVID-19 pandemic has put huge strains on typical Americans, measures that the government has taken to provide financial assistance did their part to prevent full-blown economic collapse. As those government measures have phased out, however, some have been concerned about the potential impact on retail stocks . In that light, Tuesday morning's reports from The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Macy's (NYSE: M) were quite illuminating and have a lot to say not just to their shareholders but to the broader investment community.
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Home Depot, Macy's Show How Consumers Are Propping Up the U.S. Economy