Quite a surprising retail sales number – up 0.8% from October to November and up 7.7% over November 2009. Calculated Risk posted this interesting chart(you can click on all the charts to enlarge): He observes that we are almost back to pre-recession levels. But is everything really coming up roses? Jake at EconomPicData.com is playing […]
Posts Tagged ‘retail sales’
Black Friday Disappoints
According to the WSJ, Black Friday wasn’t as big a hit as the traffic numbers suggest. Black Friday sales rose only slightly from a year ago even though more shoppers visited stores, retail traffic monitor ShopperTrak said Saturday, setting the stage for another uncertain holiday season for retailers. Sales increased 0.3% to $10.7 billion, according […]
No Shoppers In These Stores
The WSJ is out with some more data that shows consumers have no intention of buying anything more than the essentials: From the Journal: Major retailers reported that American consumers are continuing to hunker down, casting a cloud over the durability of the U.S. recovery and underscoring the importance of overseas demand in restoring the […]
Jobs Better, Retail Sales Still Weak
The jobs report was a little better, retail sales not so good. Initial claims as reported by the NYT fell from 625,000 to 621,000 while the four-week moving average increased by 4,000 to 631,250. Continuing claims fell by 15,000 to 6.7 million. At least it isn’t getting worse. Retail sales for May are shaping […]
No Green Shoots In These Numbers
The green shoots are looking like they need water. Foreclosures surged in April, tax revenues cratered, California is close to going toes up and retail sales did an about face. Well recovery doesn’t always proceed in a straight line, does it. Retail sales for April were down 0.4% from March and the figures for March […]
Wal-Mart Sees Some Encouraging Signs In Sales Mix
I’m a big fan of Wal-Mart but not as a shopper. I think that the enormous data they mine from their network on a real time basis provides the best insight to the American consumer available. So, when they come out with information I take note. Here is their latest announcement: Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s U.S. […]
A Disappointing Retail Sales Report
For the Pollyannas like me who see a second half rebound today’s retail sales number was a splash of cold water. It’s being reported that retail sales for March were down 1.1% over February and down 10.7% from last March. Taking some of the pain out of the numbers was the news that January sales […]