Fiscal Cliff? What Fiscal Cliff?

Fiscal Cliff? What Fiscal Cliff? If you need a better gauge of consumer sentiment, other than the U. of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, look no further than Black Friday sales as deciphered by the National Retail Sales Federation. Perhaps this year’s crop of Turkey’s didn’t contain enough tryptophan because shoppers were out in force as early as Thursday night, spending $59.1 billion dollars and driving sales 13% higher than the same day last year. However, this may not be enough to boost investor sentiment as one very big concern remains, the cliff they call “Fiscal”. Congress returns to mounting pressure to reach a deal in little more than a month, to avoid economic disaster. Across the pond, Eurozone finance ministers will be looking to avoid a disaster of their own as they meet to decide on whether or not to open the proverbial pocket-book for Greece. Nothing terribly exciting on tap for today as markets get back into the swing of things after the extended holiday weekend. The precious complex is trading relatively flat to start the day. Have a great day!