Friday, January 16, 2015

Real retail sales for December: much better, thank you


 - by New Deal democrat

As promised, now that we know the CPI reading for December, here is a comparison of nominal retail sales (blue, left scale) with real retail sales (red, right scale):



In real terms, retail sales in December were higher than any other month in history, except for November.  The positive trend in consumer purchasing is firmly intact.

UPDATE:  And while we're at it, industrial production tells the same story. Down -0.1% in December after rising +1.1% in November:



In other words, up 1% over every other month ever, except for November.