by Calculated Risk on 2/14/2012 08:46:00 AM
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Retail Sales increased 0.4% in January
On a monthly basis, retail sales were up 0.4% from December to January (seasonally adjusted, after revisions), and sales were up 5.8% from January 2011. From the Census Bureau report:
The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for January, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $401.4 billion, an increase of 0.4 percent (±0.5%)* from the previous month and 5.8 percent (±0.7%) above January 2011. ... The November to December 2011 percent change was revised from 0.1 percent (±0.5)* to virtually unchanged (±0.3%)*.
![Retail Sales](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRKRH0jF6gExeyRq8T15i80PJobpwdhwW2CJrftQQAEiwGlIs-FMxxZMdoDsINCMJwGe5oPTvYUMDiuKYWtx0MpDQzTd51w9OQZnSsEt5nJefTQhW6bHSK31Jx7Ql4N6AODan/s320/RetailJan2012.jpg)
Sales for December were revised down from a 0.1% increase to "virtually unchanged".
This graph shows retail sales since 1992. This is monthly retail sales and food service, seasonally adjusted (total and ex-gasoline).
Retail sales are up 20.7% from the bottom, and now 6.1% above the pre-recession peak (not inflation adjusted)
![Retail Sales since 2006](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPjkDnwoxwdLlJXeWXr80VbLiTW9ClW0I7_sfUf1Fe9CjEsIffE6g4pGs6UxMCdVAc4X8iH5D_khgUKOBohblxWj3IRtNHxfJM_vcJuoT9CLMGqBHuttEJ-4qEEjLD-vUTiHa/s320/RetailShortJan2012.jpg)
The third graph shows the year-over-year change in retail sales and food service (ex-gasoline) since 1993.
Retail sales ex-gasoline increased by 5.6% on a YoY basis (5.8% for all retail sales). Retail sales ex-gasoline increased 0.3% in January.
![Year-over-year change in Retail Sales](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSP13knZB129cdqM73A2ocVMEpH76HdIG7g8CZv1IC2s5nW2zHhFDlERdypU_338t5SNPG2NkPU5LPvEG2Dzwi0Ri7tZgUuoBt48cAv0jLaACGuoyZAxlTRrPGx27wrNue_W1d/s320/RetailYoYJan2012.jpg)