Updated: 16-Jan-20 09:17 ET
| December Retail Sales |
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| Updated: 16-Jan-20 09:17 ET |
Highlights
- Retail sales increased 0.3% m/m in December following an upwardly revised 0.3% increase (from 0.2%) in November.
- Retail sales, excluding autos, jumped 0.7% (Briefing.com consensus +0.5%) after a downwardly revised unchanged reading (from 0.1%) in November.
Key Factors
- Gasoline station sales increased 2.8%.
- Building material and equipment and supplies dealers sales increased 1.4%.
- Clothing and clothing accessories stores sales jumped 1.6%.
- Electronics and appliance store sales increased 0.6%.
- Nonstore retailer sales were up 0.2%, as were food services and drinking places sales.
Big Picture
- The key takeaway from the report is that the December sales increases were broad based, with the exception of motor vehicles and parts dealers (-1.3%) and department stores (-0.8%), breathing life into the notion that the consumer remains a driving force of growth for the U.S. economy.
| Category | DEC | NOV | OCT | SEP | AUG |
| Retail Sales | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | -0.4% | 0.6% |
| Excluding Autos | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.2% | -0.2% | 0.2% |
| Durable goods | |||||
| Building Materials | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0.0% | -1.7% | 2.3% |
| Autos/parts | -1.3% | 1.5% | 1.1% | -1.1% | 2.0% |
| Furniture | 0.1% | 0.3% | -0.7% | 1.1% | 0.1% |
| Nondurable goods | |||||
| General Merchandise | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.4% | -0.9% | -0.2% |
| Food | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.1% | -0.8% | 0.0% |
| Gasoline stations | 2.8% | 1.0% | 2.0% | -0.1% | -1.2% |
| Clothing | 1.6% | -0.5% | -0.2% | 0.1% | -1.2% |
| e*retailing/non-store | 0.2% | 0.0% | -0.7% | -0.1% | 1.4% |
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