Fed Rate Hike Odds Fall As Amazon Prime Day Effect Hits Retail Sales

The Federal Reserve now looks somewhat unlikely to raise interest rates at either of the next two meetings after a weak July retail sales report further assuaged concerns that the economy may be overheating. Last Friday's weak jobs report and the even weaker retail sales report "are bad news for workers and consumers, but potentially good news for the stock market, because it reduces the urgency at the Fed to raise rates to fight too-high inflation," wrote Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management.