After 13 consecutive YoY declines, US inflation-adjusted retail sales rose 1.4% YoY in December, The first YoY increase since Oct 2022.
Nominal Retail Sales grew 4.78% over the last year, rising just above the historical average of 4.71%. Source: Charlie Bilello
Japanese companies profits are surging
but that's not translating into rising domestic wages, keeping a lid on domestic inflationary pressures, and allowing easy monetary & FX policy to persist. The main winners are japan equity investors. Source: DB, Bob Elliott, The Daily Shot
This scatter plot shows where growth tech valuations stand based on 2024 metrics
Source: Shay Boloor
UK Inflation Rises Unexpectedly, Tempering Talk of Rate Cuts
UK inflation disappoints at both the headline and core levels: Headline inflation rose to 4.0% in December, above the consensus forecast looking for it to fall from 3.9% to 3.8%. Core inflation, which was also expected to fall, remained unchanged at 5.1%. Source: Bloomberg
The Influence of Family-Owned Businesses, by Share of GDP
by The Visual Capitalist
The valuation gap between the S&P 500 $SPX and the rest of the world continues to widen
Source: FT, Barchart
Trump's odds of winning the election are now at the highest, and 3 ppts above Biden.
As Goldman notes, on balance, a Republican 'sweep' looks likely to increase the chances of a stronger USD, higher breakeven inflation rates, higher yields, and a steeper yield curve. It may also increase the tails in both directions for energy prices. Source: Predictit, www.zerohedge.com, Bloomberg
China stocks cbear market continues unabated
As Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index tumbled 3.06% afterweaker than expected GDP numbers were released, while China’s CSI 300 index shed 0.73%. Meanwhile, AMC Nomura Nikkei 225 ETF went limit up today after Chinese traders ignored warnings to avoid chasing gains in Japanese Stocks. This ETF trades with a 9.5% premium over its net asset value... Source: Bloomberg, Barchart
