This Week: Consumer confidence, Tiffany results, 2Q GDP
A look at some of the key business events and economic indicators upcoming this week:
SPOTLIGHT ON CONSUMERS
American consumers have remained confident despite signs that the economy is slowing.
An index of how consumers feel about the economy rebounded to 135.7 in July, an 8-month high, after a sharp drop in June. The Conference Board is expected to report Tuesday that this month the index fell to 130. A reading of 90 or better reflects a healthy economy.
Consumer confidence, by month:
March 124.2
April 129.2
May 131.3
June 124.3
July 135.7
Aug. (est.) 130.0
Source: FactSet
NOT EXACTLY SPARKLING
Fewer Chinese tourists traveling to the U.S. has weighed on Tiffany & Co.'s sales this year.
The luxury jeweler cited the trend as a reason it lowered its earnings outlook. Wall Street predicts Tiffany will report Wednesday that its fiscal second quarter earnings and revenue declined from a year earlier.
SLOWER GROWTH?
The Commerce Department delivers its latest quarterly estimate of U.S. economic growth Thursday. Economists project that the gross domestic product grew by 2.1% in the April-June quarter from a year earlier. That would be down from the previous quarter, when the economy grew at a 3.1% rate.
GDP, seasonally adjusted annual rate, by quarter:
Q1 2018: 2.6
Q2 2018: 3.5
Q3 2018: 2.9
Q4 2018: 1.1
Q1 2019: 3.1
Q2 2019 (est.): 2.1
Source: FactSet