| That's the biggest gripe I have with how the news reports on the economy. They'll say something like "New retail sales figures sent the DOW into a tailspin, dropping 250 points." When, in reality, there are easily a thousand factors influencing the movement of the markets on a given day.
The news oversimplifies economics greatly.
So to answer your question, yes, it does, but it's only one factor among thousands, and is at best a minor player. | 