Chief Economist: Usually, the release of economic data about higher-than-expected growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) results in an increase in stock prices.

However, this quarter, the release of data about strong GDP growth is most likely to result in a decrease rather than an increase in stock prices. Robust GDP growth will lead to higher interest rates, increasing the attractiveness of bonds and causing a shift of capital from equity to debt securities. In the above argument, the statements in boldface play which of the following roles?

【选项】The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the chief economist predicts will not hold in the case at issue; the second offers a consideration in support of that prediction