JPMorgan: GDP Growth 'Is Like Running on Red Bull'
*By Michael Teich*
President Trump's top economic advisor Larry Kudlow said this week that economic growth could top [4 percent](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/18/trump-advisor-kudlow-says-economic-growth-could-top-4percent-for-a-quarter-.html).
And while JPMorgan ETFs global market strategist Samantha Azzarello agrees, she does doubt its sustainability.
"It’s like running on Red Bull, which you can not do forever," she told Cheddar in an interview Thursday.
The economy is getting a jolt from tax cuts, government spending, and high consumption. But trade tensions have weighed on the markets recently, and as Azzarello explained, we're late in the cycleーthe bull market turned 9 years old in March, its longest ever run.
"There's fatigue with this bull market, which is bizarre. We should feel good that the earnings growth is so good," she said.
"If you contrast the earnings data, which is so positive and so strong, with how much the market is up, it literally doesn't make any sense."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/u-s-economy-running-on-red-bull-but-wont-last-says-market-strategist)
Amazon has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of Hollywood studio MGM, two days after European regulators said the deal “would not significantly reduce competition” in European markets.
Markets opened lower as the Federal Reserve announces plans to hike interest rates by a quarter point, while signaling six additional rate hikes later this year. Gary Schlossberg, Global Strategist, Wells Fargo Investment Institute, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Ahmed Riesgo, Chief Investment Officer for Insigneo, discusses the importance of the Fed's comments on future rate hikes and what lower-than-expected Retail Sales data means for consumer spending in the near term.
Jordan Mauriello, CEO of MoreYellow, talks about the evolving landscape of female gamers and why brands see Influencers as more valuable than their male counterparts.
Apple's Racial Equity and Justice Initiative is a $100 million program aimed at combating systemic racism while working to advance racial equity across the country. Alisha Johnson, director of the initiative, joined Cheddar at SXSW to discuss the work being done. "We focused on three critical areas. The first is education. The second is criminal justice reform, and the third is economic empowerment, really looking first in our own supply chain, how can we really increase our spend with Latinx, Hispanic, and indigenous-owned businesses," she said. "And then how can we go further to empower entrepreneurs who have been cut out of access to funding and capital and really help them to get the funding."
What you Need to Know on Thursday, March 17. Updates from Ukraine, President Biden refers to Putin as a ‘war criminal’ for the first time, Walmart has ambitious hiring targets for Q1, and Netflix takes steps to crack down on password sharing.
