January retail sales begin year slow but show annual gains

January retail sales data issued by the United States Department of Commerce and the National Retail Federation (NRF) were mildly mixed but on similar trajectories over all.

Commerce reported that January retail sales at $439.8 billion were down 0.8 percent compared to December and up 3.3 percent compared to January 2014, and total retail sales from November 2014 through January 2015 were up 3.8 percent annually.

The NRF said that January retail sales, which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants, were up down 0.2 percent seasonally-adjusted month-to-month compared to December and increased 3.7 percent annually on an unadjusted basis. The NRF added that its results confirm holiday sales growth (for the months of November and December) at 4 percent.

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