I want to revisit the news and a few things that were lost in all the Fed hoopla earlier this week. The Consumer Confidence measured by the conference board missed consensus estimates, but the devilish details are even more worrisome. It is getting harder to find jobs and those who seek jobs will find the difficulty increased significantly in the future.
| Consumer Confidence | January | February |
| Present | 113.9 | 110.2 |
| Expectations | 97 | 87.2 |
| Jobs Plentiful | 20.7 | 20.5 |
| Jobs Hard | 24.6 | 26.2 |
| More Future Jobs | 13.4 | 17.3 |
The news mirror what we've seen recently in Gallup's U.S. Economic Confidence Index, which has been on a tear since August. Last week, it slipped back into negative territory.
Something is bugging Main Street, and without a doubt, it revolves around jobs, wages, and the policies out of Washington, D.C.
The Market
Surprisingly, nothing's bothering investors, not even the lackluster volume that's gotten even thinner as of late.
Volume on the NASDAQ is even more alarming from a purist's point of view. In fact, the only spikes in volume have come during periods of distress. I get that volume has been a characteristic of this rally since 2009. However, I would like to see it as a stronger sign of confidence in the rally as we breakout to new highs.
Let's call it a yellow flag. It isn’t enough to sell, but it does mean hiccups will lead to exaggerated moves to the downside... it’s something to keep in mind.