A conversation with myself

I see this headline today:

Coach Declines on Slower Store Traffic
Tuesday October 23, 3:24 pm ET
Coach Shares Decline As Coach Says Traffic Has Been Weaker in U.S. Retail Stores

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of luxury bag and accessories retailer Coach Inc. fell Tuesday after the company said it was experiencing weak traffic in its U.S. retail stores.
Coach expects fiscal second-quarter same-store sales growth in the low single digits for North American retail stores, and believes factory stores will generate same-store sales growth at least in the mid-teens.

So, I think to myself, (after digesting Walmarts' and Caterpillars' latest news releases), that things must be getting bad out there, and it isn't just the low end with WMT, but now affecting the high end at COH. And then I think about next Wednesday's Fed Meeting...which means more conviction for a rate cut, and therefore, the slowdown that we are experiencing is temporary, and you dont want to fade the rate cut....Or, hey, it's a bifurcated mkt, I dont want a Coach handbag, but i gotta have an iphone! Tech is in; retail, financials out!

Then I think about statement after statement on these earnings calls; & the big picture theme throughout this earnings season is:

Giant Tug of War: US Consumer Weakness vs. Global Growth Juggernaut! CEO after CEO states: "Our domestic sales are sluggish (or down) due to weakening consumer demand, but we are extremely pleased with the growth in our international sales."

So, where does that leave me? LOL. Plenty of conflicting signals. We'll see where the market takes us. Good luck.