MORE ECONOMIC WOBBLING – AT 10:56 A.M. ET:   Many recent economic signs are troubling.  Some more disturbing news has come in.  This could have a profound effect on the election if it continues.  From AP:

Target's first-quarter profit easily beat Wall Street expectations, but slowing sales at the Minneapolis retailer and across much of the retail sector is creating a lot of unease.

Target's weak store sales and its expectations for this quarter, released Wednesday, pushed shares down 9 percent in morning trading. Shares of almost every retailer followed suit in what is shaping up to be a miserable year.

Target earned $632 million, or $1.05 per share, for the three months ended April 30. That compares with $635 million, or 98 cents per share, a year ago.

Stripping out one-time items, earnings were $1.29 per share, which was much better than the $1.19 per share projected on Wall Street, according to a FactSet survey.

But revenue slipped to $16.2 billion from $17.12 billion, which was shy of expectations.

Sales at stores opened at least a year rose 1.2 percent, but that's below the increase of 1.6 percent that was expected. Industry analysts watch this figure closely when determining a retailer's health because removes the volatility of stores recently opened or closed.

Before Target, major department stores like Macy's Inc., J.C. Penney Co. and Kohl's Corp. all posted weak first-quarter sales with pressure rising from off-priced stores like T.J. Maxx and also Amazon.com.

COMMENT:  The employment picture is also wobbly.  Hillary, not always the swiftest candidate, said a few days ago that she'd appoint her husband to "revitalize" the economy.  Obama must have loved that.  He's been telling we peasants that the economy is booming.  The Dems had better get on the same page.

May 18, 2016