Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index

Highlights
According to Bloomberg, consumer confidence declined for a second straight week, interrupting a four-month surge as Americans’ perceptions of their finances and the economy waned.

Business Inventories

Highlights
A mismatch between inventories and sales is appearing in what could be a negative for production and employment. Business inventories rose only 0.1 percent in December but business sales fell a very sharp 0.9 percent for a 3rd straight decline. The inventory-to-sales ratio jumped 2 notches to 1.33 which is the heaviest reading since July 2009.

All 3 components show builds relative to sales especially retailers where inventories of apparel and building materials look heavy. Inventories of autos also look heavy — especially given this morning’s contraction in the auto component of the January retail sales report.