Mounting Evidence of Inflation Firming Up

The U.S. Commerce Department reported retail sales fell in February for the third month in a row, while the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index4 jumped to a 14-year high and the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index5 hovers near 17-year highs. This suggests that while times are good for most people, they have little desire to spend more in an economic expansion that is one of the longest on record. Households may save their gains from the Trump tax cuts, rather than spend in the economy, as the Commerce Department reports the savings rate ticked higher in February.