Retail Sales: Increased 0.1% in December

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Retail Sales: July 2011

The Commerce Department reported(.pdf) that, after the slowest three months of spending in almost a year, Americans pulled out their wallets again in July and pushed retail sales up by 0.5 percent in gains that were broad-based. Paced by gasoline station sales that rose 24 percent, overall sales were up 8.5 percent on a year-over-year basis in a data series adjusted for seasonal variations, but not inflation.

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Retail Sales August 2010

Retail sales rose 0.4 percent in August after a gain of 0.3 percent in July, the latest figure topping expectations for a 0.3 percent increase. Excluding automobile sales, the main factor in July’s overall gain, sales were up 0.6 percent in August, also better than expected.

Gasoline station sales rose 1.9 percent, the biggest increase for any sector, and excluding both autos and gasoline, sales rose 0.5 percent in August after a decline of 0.1 percent in July. Food and beverage sales rose 1.3 percent, clothing sales rose 1.2 percent, and sporting goods were up 0.9 percent while auto sales and electronics store sales fell 1.1 percent.

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Retail Sales August 2010

On a monthly basis, retail sales increased 0.4% from July to August (seasonally adjusted, after revisions), and sales were up 3.6% from August 2009. Retail sales increased 0.6% ex-autos.

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Retail Sales July 2010

This graph shows retail sales since 1992.

This is monthly retail sales, seasonally adjusted (total and ex-gasoline).

Retail sales are up 8.1% from the bottom, but still off 4.5% from the pre-recession peak.

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Retail Sales June 2010: Down 0.5%

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Cartoon: Lagging Sales

Retail Sales Better Than Expected

After a virtual free-fall since last September, retail sales in January were revised from a 1.0 percent gain to a 1.8 percent rise, the largest increase in three years, in what is more likely a bounce off of very depressed levels rather than a change in the underlying direction.

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