The stock markets may be down overall, and yet the Dow Jones has managed to continue a historic winning streak of five straight days of high closing numbers.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up just barely by 0.08%, so it could post a loss for the end of the day Wednesday. This has been the longest the index has had positive days in a row since December of last year, marking a bright spot in the recent market downturn.

The Nasdaq Composite closed with a decline of 0.10%, and the S&P 500 closed by gaining 0.13%. The mixed session may continue through the week as we hear more about inflation and see further earnings reports from major players.

Economic Factors Slow Market Trading

Investors were hoping for some positive inflation and economic news coming out this week, but that has not been the case so far. The Consumer Credit m/m numbers for march tell a story of slowed economic growth. The economy is having trouble getting back on its feet post pandemic… still. Consumer credit increased by 1.5% annually, which is lower than it was last month. That would be 3.6% growth compared to the same time last year.

A greater than 50% decline is good news for those who are waiting for inflation to decrease and the economy to improve, but keep in mind that these consumer credit numbers are just a single, small factor in the greater economic picture.

Credit card borrowing is up, and if those numbers start to show a decrease, they would indicate that the economy is managing some measure of recovery. With credit spending high, consumers are setting themselves up for deeper debt that will come back to bite them in the coming months. That also makes it harder for the stock market to grow, as it ties up more funds in repaying credit card fees.