With credit criteria tightening and delinquency rates rising, the consumer is going to be increasingly hard pressed to drive the economy.
Data remain largely neutral, suggesting more sideways action.
Let's review the charts and indicators for any clues to the direction of the shares.
While the stock is a little on the expensive side, it's not expensive relative to its group of retail firms.
The shares of the semiconductor producer are in an uptrend again after a modest pullback.
The Chinese yuan broke a key barrier to the U.S. dollar today, reflecting disappointing economic performance, while Japan beats expectations.
Here's how high the shares could go.
A breakdown appears imminent if traders don't begin hitting the buy button for the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF, and the S&P 500 Index could follow.
There are now two weeks until what we think is the deadline for getting a debt bill passed into law.
The result is a high level of uncertainty that produces choppy and inconsistent market action.