The Week Ahead: Is the Consumer Back?

As April draws to a close, it almost seems as though we have had two months in one. The widely watched PowerShares QQQ Trust (QQQ) declined into the April 11 lows and has been trying to rebound from those lows. Most of the major averages are lower for the month except the Dow Transports and Utilities. With 41% of the S&P 500 reporting as of Thursday, 69% have beaten analysts' estimates. The first quarter growth at 2.9% is well ahead of what the market was expecting just a few months ago. The big...