NEW YORK: Walmart became the latest company to point to a strong U.S. consumer, adding to a raft of firms in recent weeks citing healthy demand at a time when spending is seen as an increasingly key support for the economy.
"I'm in that camp. We are now in this job market where the consumer has the advantage versus employers," said Lindsey Bell, chief investment strategist at Ally Invest in Charlotte, North Carolina. Homebuilder Lennar Corp , MasterCard and Tapestry were among companies alluding to healthy consumer spending during the current reporting period.
To be sure though, business investment has been easing, and plenty of companies have given a more cautious view of the outlook. Among them, Cisco Systems Inc late on Wednesday forecast revenue and profit below expectations and said increasing global economic uncertainties were weighing on client spending.