To date, 196 of the 199 companies in our Retail/Restaurant Index have reported their EPS results for Q2 2024, representing 99% of the index. Of those companies that have reported their quarterly results, 71% announced profits that beat analysts’ expectations, while 5% delivered on-target results and 24% reported earnings that fell below estimates. The Q2 2024 blended earnings growth estimate now stands at 14.4%. The blended revenue growth estimate for the 199 companies in this index is 3.6% for Q2 2024. Of those companies that have reported their quarterly results so far, 49% announced revenue that exceeded analysts’ expectations and

The U.S. government is sending out another round of checks meant to stimulate economic activity during the coronavirus pandemic. Eighty percent of U.S. recipients plan to: save the money (48%), or pay off their debts (32%), Refinitiv discovered in a collaboration with Maru Public Opinion (Exhibit 1). About one in five (20%) of Americans will either spend it (15%), while the remaining 5% will invest the funds. Exhibit 1: How Americans Plan to Use Their Stimulus Check Source: Maru Public Opinion Rising personal savings Nearly half of Americans (48%) receiving a check in the latest round of stimulus plan to