Retail sales beat expectations with a moderately strong 0.5% rise in December (seasonally adjusted), the Census Bureau reports. After stripping out gasoline sales, retail purchases rose even more, advancing 0.8% for the month. The numbers look encouraging on a year-over-year basis too, with retail sales advancing 4.7% for the 12 months through December. That’s up [...] View the full post at: Retail Sales Deliver Another Positive Number For December’s Economic Profile Related posts: The Encouraging Retail Sales News may be Short Lived Retail Sales: A Slim Reed of Hope…Maybe US Retail Sales Slide 0.4 Percent in April