Retail Sales decreased 1.2% in December

Note: This release is for December (not January). The Census Bureau is working to catch up following the government shutdown.

On a monthly basis, retail sales decreased 1.2 percent from November to December (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 2.3 percent from December 2017.

From the Census Bureau report:

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for December 2018, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $505.8 billion, a decrease of 1.2 percent from the previous month, but 2.3 percent above December 2017.

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 down 0.9% 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 2.9% on a YoY basis.

The decrease in December was below expectations; sales in October and November were revised down significantly.