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Tonight, the U.S. retail sales for December are 0% month-on-month, significantly below the expected 0.4%. Previously, Powell and Wall Street's 'golden-haired girl' narrative is facing the risk of being exposed.

December is the Christmas season in the U.S., a traditional peak retail period. A 0% month-on-month figure reflects the slowdown in consumption for most groups under the K-shaped economy, with domestic demand increasingly driven by the affluent.

Of course, the U.S. economy has two other 'stories' to tell besides domestic demand: one is the AI narrative, with increasing evidence of productivity improvements; the AI investment guideline of 650 billion for 26 years was announced this quarter; the second is the growth in net exports, both of which will boost GDP.