 while gold is hitting a new all-time high up more than $16 to $24.45 the ounce. All this as we wait for this morning's retail sales data, which will tell us how the consumer is doing. If indeed there's a slowdown, rates could fall further, and it could prompt the Federal Reserve to start thinking more actively about lowering rates sooner rather than later. Right now, a mixed start to the day. Europe was down across the board. Asia was mixed in overnight trade.