December retail sales were flat, missing expectations

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNBC

Published Tue, Feb 10 2026 8:33 AM EST Updated 2 Min Ago


Consumers activity slowed sharply for the December holiday shopping season amid a spate of rough weather and persistently higher inflation, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

Retail sales were flat on the month following a 0.6% increase in November, according to numbers adjusted for seasonality but not inflation. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected an increase of 0.4%. Excluding autos, sales also were unchanged, against the estimate for a 0.3% increase.

On an annual basis, sales rose 2.4%, a considerable step down from the 3.3% pace in November. Sales ex-autos were up 3.3% annually in December.

The report puts a downbeat end to an otherwise solid year for shopping activity, with higher-end consumers spending briskly through much of 2025, though those on the lower end of the income spectrum were more cautious. The shopping pace failed to keep up with inflation, as the consumer price index for December posted a 2.7% increase.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/10/december-retail-sales-were-flat-missing-expectations.html

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From the source - https://www.census.gov/retail/sales.html


Article updated.

Previous article -

Published Tue, Feb 10 2026 8:33 AM EST Updated 2 Min Ago


Consumers activity slowed sharply for the December holiday shopping season amid a spate of rough weather and persistently higher inflation, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

Retail sales were flat on the month following a 0.6% increase in November, according to numbers adjusted for seasonality but not inflation. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected an increase of 0.5%. Excluding autos, sales also were unchanged, against the estimate for a 0.3% increase.

On an annual basis, sales rose 2.4%, a considerable step down from the 3.3% pace in November. Sales ex-autos were up 3.3% annually in December.


This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

Original article -

Published Tue, Feb 10 2026 8:33 AM EST Updated 1 Min Ago


Retail sales were expected to increase 0.5% in December, according to the Dow Jones consensus.


This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

[PSPS]

1. If trump's commerce dept says this, it must have been much worse

[Ritabert]

2. I haven't been buying anything except food and occasional gas.

[progree]

3. key excerpt: "failed to keep up with inflation". IOW when adjusted for higher prices, consumers actually bought less

than a year ago.

Key excerpts from the excerpt:

according to numbers adjusted for seasonality but not inflation
. . .
On an annual basis, sales rose 2.4%,
. . .
failed to keep up with inflation, as the consumer price index for December posted a 2.7% increase.

And as far as the one month December over November number, there was no increase (it was flat according to the excerpt), while prices rose 0.31% according to the CPI
CPI: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0

[republianmushroom]

4. Could the $1,000 to $1,500 household tariff cost

be the cause of the flatness?