On December 1, we gather as a firm to commemorate and pay homage to the founders of Ferguson Wellman. We reflect on those who came before us and celebrate our shared vision for the future – we cherish this tradition and look forward to it every year. Traditions like this are an integral part of the holiday season, which officially kicked off with the year’s busiest shopping weekend. The number of Black Friday and Cyber Monday commercials, promotions and emails were staggering, but did consumers take the bait?
The (U.S.) Consumer Keeps Coming Up Roses
The U.S. consumer continues to be the sweetheart of the global economy. Personal consumption represents approximately 70 percent of U.S. GDP and this morning’s University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index release suggests the consumer remains both confident and resilient.
The Confidence Game
For the shortened holiday week, equity markets were down by almost 1 percent as investors followed events in Russia and North Korea. Interest rates were lower with the 10-year Treasury declining in yield from 2.36 to 2.22 percent.