$Sight
Core retail spending the biggest driver of U.S. GDP, fell −0.1% in December, the weakest reading in 8 months.
Spending declined across clothing, furniture, electronics, and auto dealers during the holiday month and only a few categories like building materials and sporting goods saw gains.
Lower income households are cutting back the most as budgets tighten and essentials take a bigger share of spending.
Wage growth slowed to around 0.7% in Q4, the weakest pace since 2021. Since this retail data feeds straight into GDP, the drop signals weakening consumer demand and slower economic growth.
Core retail spending the biggest driver of U.S. GDP, fell −0.1% in December, the weakest reading in 8 months.
Spending declined across clothing, furniture, electronics, and auto dealers during the holiday month and only a few categories like building materials and sporting goods saw gains.
Lower income households are cutting back the most as budgets tighten and essentials take a bigger share of spending.
Wage growth slowed to around 0.7% in Q4, the weakest pace since 2021. Since this retail data feeds straight into GDP, the drop signals weakening consumer demand and slower economic growth.