Its Official, We're Addicted

As Americans, we have once again proven our addition to gasoline. Despite rising oil prices, our eagerness for the open road hasn't lessened. Trading volume is up, and consumer demand far outweighs our country's production of crude oil. Although our consumption of gasoline is as high as ever, retailers are wondering just where it is we're going - since its certainly not out shopping. Wal-Mart had a disappointing May sales report; consumers cut back on spending. But spending isn't the only place consumers are lacking. A New York reserach group said its monthly poll of consumer confidence slid to 103.2 in May, down from 109.8 in April. And although this was higher than expected, the effects hit the market hard. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the Fed will have something positive on Wednesday. DJIA: -184.18 Nasdaq: -45.63 S&P 500: -20.32