| Date | Prior | Current | Rating | |
| NFIB Small Business Optimism M/M | Apr-21 | 98.20 | 99.80 | C+ |
| Industrial Production M/M | Apr-21 | 1.40 | 0.70 | C |
| Job Openings (Jolts) M/M | Mar-21 | 7.367M | 8.123M | B- |
| RedBook W/W | 5/8/2021 | 14.20 | 13.30 | C |
| Jobless Claims W/W | 5/8/2021 | 498K | 473K | C+ |
| Retail Sales M/M | Apr-21 | 9.80 | 0.00 | C |
| Consumer Sentiment M/M | May-21 | 88.30 | 82.80 | C- |
Light week for data but meaningful enough to continue.
Consumer Sentiment took a hit. Current events apparently have them a little nervous.
Retail Sales came in flat for Apr. We've had a stretch of outsized gains, but in conjunction with Consumers, this is a potential red flag.
Small Business gained a bit of optimism. Let's hope it continues.
Industrial Production showed a 2nd month of gain, tho somewhat less so than the previous.
Jobless Claims continue a decent into a normal range, tho still too high.
Job Openings hit new highs in March and I don't recall numbers this high. Let's hope it continues and we can persuade people to go back to work.
I'll go with a cautious C+ this week based on the available data but my level of confidence/optimism is somewhat tempered. Suck Factor remains at 5.
Thanks very much Tim for continuing to provide us with so much data .....and on just one page with the perspective of what it suggests for the economy!
Tim's previous reports: