at Calculated Risk on 1/16/2025 10:12:00 AM
On a monthly basis, retail sales increased 0.4% from November to December (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 3.9 percent from December 2023.
From the Census Bureau report:
Advance estimates of US retail and food services sales for December 2024, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $729.2 billion, an increase of 0.4 percent from the previous monthand up 3.9 percent from December 2023. … The October 2024 to November 2024 percent change was revised from up 0.7 percent to up 0.8 percent.
emphasis added
Click on graph for larger image.
This graph shows retail sales since 1992. This is monthly retail sales and food service, seasonally adjusted (total and ex-gasoline).
Retail sales ex-gasoline were up 0.4% in December.
The second graph shows the year-over-year change in retail sales and food service (ex-gasoline) since 1993.
Retail and Food service sales, ex-gasoline, increased by 4.1% on a YoY basis.
The change in sales in December were slightly below expectations, however sales in October and November were revised up.