Skepticism About U.S. Spending Seen in Consumer Stocks: EcoPulse

Investors are skeptical that U.S. retail spending will exceed forecasts this year, as some consumer-discretionary stock indexes have yet to reach new multiyear highs relative to their defensive counterparts.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 GICS Consumer Discretionary Sector Index traded at the highest level since August 2007 on Jan. 25 compared with the S&P 500 Consumer Staples Index. Equivalent small-cap and equal-weight indexes haven’t reached a similar peak.