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Western boot sales on the rise since ‘Cowboy Carter’

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Beyoncé leaves the Luar fashion show at 154 Scott in Brooklyn during New York Fashion Week on Feb. 13, 2024.

James Devaney | GC Images | Getty Images

Western boots have a new protector in Beyoncé.

The country fashion staple’s sales surged more than 20% in the week after the music superstar released her “Cowboy Carter” album, according to consumer behavior firm Circana. That can spell good news for companies making the iconic shoe, as well as other items that fit the same Wild West aesthetic.

“Cowboy Carter,” which came out late last month, marked the “Halo” singer’s foray into the country genre. Even before the full album dropped, Circana reported notable boosts to unit sales for this style of boot following the release of singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.”

The 32-time Grammy winner’s latest project adds to a groundswell of cultural support for stagecoach-inspired styles. Louis Vuitton unveiled an American Western line during Paris Fashion Week earlier this year, featuring models in everything from cowboy hats to bolo ties. This look has also caught a bid through the ongoing Eras Tour, as some attendees opt to channel Taylor Swift’s pre-pop days as a country singer.

Retailers and industry followers have already taken note of the trend.

Beyoncé’s chart-topping album can provide a same-store sales bump and help lasso in women shoppers at Boot Barn, said Williams Trading analyst Sam Poser. He upgraded his rating on the California-based retailer to buy on Thursday and raised his price target by $33 to $113, which now implies an upside of about 12%.

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Boot Barn, Year to Date

Adding to the momentum is the beginning of busy seasons for rodeos and music festivals, Poser said. With these positive trends, he said guidance for the current quarter and full fiscal year should exceed Wall Street consensus estimates.

“We have little doubt that there is a correlation” between the increased attention on Western clothing and the release of Beyoncé’s eighth studio album, Poser said.

Boot Barn shares have climbed more than 4% since the start of April, defying the broader market’s pullback. That adds to the stock’s rally over the course of 2024, with shares jumping about 30% compared with the start of the year.

‘Really trending’

Though cowboy boots may typify the Western look, other pieces can also ride the wave.

Levi Strauss CEO Michelle Gass told analysts earlier this month that the denim maker works to ensure the “brand remains in the center of culture.” That mission was aided by “Levii’s Jeans,” a song on the “Cowboy Carter” album featuring Post Malone.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

“I don’t think there’s any better evidence or proof point than having someone like Beyoncé, who is a culture shaper, to actually name a song after us,” Gass said on the company’s earnings call last week.

Gass said denim is “having a moment” and the Western style is “really trending,” including in fashion and music.

But denim suppliers have not been able to sidestep the recent market slide. Levi Strauss shares have dropped more than 3% in April. Kontoor Brands, whose styles under the Wrangler brand include a “cowboy cut” jean, has tumbled around 11% in the month.

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“The Republicans should pray for rain”—the title of a paper published by a trio of political scientists in 2007—has been an axiom of American elections for years. The logic was straightforward: each inch of election-day showers, the study found, dampened turnout by 1%. Lower turnout gave Republicans an edge because the party’s affluent electorate had the resources to vote even when it was inconvenient. Their opponents, less so.

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Inflation rate slipped to 2.1% in April, lower than expected, Fed’s preferred gauge shows

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Inflation rate slipped to 2.1% in April, lower than expected, Fed’s preferred gauge shows

Inflation barely budged in April as tariffs President Donald Trump implemented in the early part of the month had yet to show up in consumer prices, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s key inflation measure, increased just 0.1% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.1%. The monthly reading was in line with the Dow Jones consensus forecast while the annual level was 0.1 percentage point lower.

Excluding food and energy, the core reading that tends to get even greater focus from Fed policymakers showed readings of 0.1% and 2.5%, against respective estimates of 0.1% and 2.6%.

Consumer spending, though, slowed sharply for the month, posting just a 0.2% increase, in line with the consensus but slower than the 0.7% rate in March. A more cautious consumer mood also was reflected in the personal savings rate, which jumped to 4.9%, up from 0.6 percentage point in March to the highest level in nearly a year.

Personal income surged 0.8%, a slight increase from the prior month but well ahead of the forecast for 0.3%.

Markets showed little reaction to the news, with stock futures continuing to point lower and Treasury yields mixed.

People shop at a grocery store in Brooklyn on May 13, 2025 in New York City.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

Trump has been pushing the Fed to lower its key interest rate as inflation has continued to gravitate back to the central bank’s 2% target. However, policymakers have been hesitant to move as they await the longer-term impacts of the president’s trade policy.

On Thursday, Trump and Fed Chair Jerome Powell held their first face-to-face meeting since the president started his second term. However, a Fed statement indicated the future path of monetary policy was not discussed and stressed that decisions would be made free of political considerations.

Trump slapped across-the-board 10% duties on all U.S. imports, part of an effort to even out a trading landscape in which the U.S. ran a record $140.5 billion deficit in March. In addition to the general tariffs, Trump launched selective reciprocal tariffs much higher than the 10% general charge.

Since then, though, Trump has backed off the more severe tariffs in favor of a 90-day negotiating period with the affected countries. Earlier this week, an international court struck down the tariffs, saying Trump exceeded his authority and didn’t prove that national security was threatened by the trade issues.

Then in the latest installment of the drama, an appeals court allowed a White House effort for a temporary stay of the order from the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Economists worry that tariffs could spark another round of inflation, though the historical record shows that their impact is often minimal.

At their policy meeting earlier this month, Fed officials also expressed worry about potential tariff inflation, particularly at a time when concerns are rising about the labor market. Higher prices and slower economic growth can yield stagflation, a phenomenon the U.S. hasn’t seen since the early 1980s.

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