Read it here first: Fed Says Holiday Sales Disappointing
Shorter Beige Book: "The Federal Reserve said economic activity increased "at a slower pace” in late November and...
December Retail Sales
Well, as forecast, the retailers had an awful holiday season. From the Census Bureau: "Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food...
Eddie Lampert’s Debacle at Sears
This morning, the papers are rife with stories about the debacle that is Sears (SHLD). Once America’s largest retailer, it now...
Consumer Debt & Spending
This week, the Federal Reserve reported that revolving consumer credit had risen 7.4% from the same period last year. Outstanding...
How Good Were Holiday Sales Really?
The answer to that question depends upon who you ask. Speak to ShopperTrak, they will tell you that even though traffic was off, sales...
NYC Bargains for Europeans
Hey, not everything I say is negative. Here’s some upbeat comments about Europeans going shopping here in NYC I made to the NY...
Real Holiday Spending Was Negative in 2007
The Retail Sales post-mortem has begun, and it is as we expected: the weakest holiday spending season in five years. Total sales gains...
Christmas Eve Retail Post-Mortem
While we won’t get the full data for a few days, some early numbers are beginning to come in. The most chartable thing I can say...
More Retail Sales Hype
Most people usually have a good reason for doing what it is that they do. Whenever I am asked why I blog or push back against headlines,...
Retail Sales Softer (Ignore the Surveys)
If you want to know: – What people think, ask them questions. – What people are doing, look at the data. – What they...