Morning Stock Talk - Battipaglia: Consumer moods are important, but is it enough?

For a recession to actually end, we need consumer confidence numbers "that are materially higher than where they are at this point." So says Joe Battipaglia, a market strategist at Stifel Nicolas. He tells Steve Potisk, this may yet be a challenge since he suspects this bounce in confidence was a reaction " to a better stock market in April and May that what you saw in January, February, March...a hoped-for change in the outlook fir the housing market that may not materialize." All of that could challenge the consumer again "as we move into the summer months." And Battipaglia says if the consumer doesn't spend the stock market could have trouble heading higher from here.

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