Retail Sales and the American Spender in Review and a ‘Speculative’ Outlook

On Tuesday of this past week, the Commerce Department’s retail sales figures were released, coming in at a growth rate of 0.8 percent (about 9.7 percent on an annualized basis), with retail sales excluding motor vehicle parts and dealers also coming in at 0.8 percent (about 9.8 percent on an annualized basis). The...

