Looks as though the middle class is disintegrating, and the average person may not be buying into this rally. The major indices at highs or making all time highs (DJIA), and yet the import price index is down, industrial production is down, ppi is down, the housing index is trying to find a bottom. Probably looks as though the market is being propped up by a few.
With the dip in cpi, it may appear as though any reduction in the cost of energy is likely to make middle income people spend on essentials rather than luxuries This suggests that the few who are driving the market higher can do so, but the data suggests that the ordinary folks are not buying it
Don't know what the point of the UN sanctions are any more. I mean if they meant anything, surely Iraq and all the previous sanctions would have has a deterrent effect on North Korea. Anyway it seems as though China only got involved because of possible political instability within their own ranks. Don't know how much leverage the US is going to have on China, after all when the Chinese cars begin to be imported into the US, for every 2.5% duty placed on the Chinese car, the US equivalent car exported to China could have a 25% duty imposed on it. What kind of trade deal is that?