Hoping for More

The retail numbers came out today. While sales increased, markets hoped for more. The gains were slight, and some came because of continued deep discounting. Still, upscale retailers and big box discounters seem to be winning. It's the retailers in between who are suffering the most. Jobless claims were up slightly. Markets responded with a stifled yawn. Investors keep looking for bigger numbers. Those may not appear until the end of August. DJIA -5.45 NASDAQ -10.51 S&P 500 -1.43