Attempts to talk down the economy not working

Guy Benson:

Over the last few weeks, we've been exploring the competing narratives about the US economy -- with the White House insisting that all is well, as many in the media hype up the possibility of a coming recession. My general conclusion at this point has been that while there are some soft spots and genuine warning signs, the economy's fundamentals remain quite strong. Unemployment has been quite low, the job market has been quite robust, and wage growth has broken free from years of frustrating stagnation. We also recently received positive news on other indicators, including productivity, retail sales, and overall consumer spending:

U.S. consumers spent more in July than economists expected, the federal government said on Thursday, as retail sales rose 0.7% vs. the 0.3% estimated. Excluding automobile sales, a more volatile component, retail sales rose 1% — double what economists anticipated. Why it matters: Consumers were largely unfazed by the increasing economic uncertainty in July, defying other indicators that point to a global slowdown or recession. The data also comes as Walmart, one of the world’s biggest retailers, posted strong financials for its most recent quarter.

But perception can sometimes shape or morph into reality, so if the media's recession drumbeat started to shake Americans' confidence, there's a chance it could become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Not so fast. Over to you, Americans -- via Team Trump....

U.S. consumer confidence declined in August by less than forecast as Americans’ assessment of current conditions climbed to the highest level in almost 19 years, helped by a job market that remains robust. The Conference Board’s index eased to 135.1 this month from a revised 135.8, according to data from the New York-based group Tuesday that exceeded all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The gauge of views on the present situation jumped to 177.2, the highest since November 2000...The reading shows hiring and income gains are keeping consumers upbeat and assuaging concerns about the economy’s prospects in light of slowing global growth, volatile financial markets and escalating U.S.-China trade tensions. The level of confidence could allow for sustained household spending that remains a mainstay of the economy. The share of respondents who say jobs are currently plentiful jumped to 51.2%, the highest since September 2000, while the share saying jobs are hard to get declined to the lowest in three months.

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While investors are sending some signals of disquiet, the consumers do not appear to have the same feelings at this point.   The job market remains robust and there are still unfilled positions in many businesses.  It will probably take joblessness for the consumer confidence to drop and that is not happening at this time.