NRF and Commerce data points to September retail sales gains

United States retail sales were down from August to September and up annually, according to data issued today by the United States Department of Commerce and the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Commerce reported that September retail sales, at $525.6 billion, were off 0.3% compared to August will rising 4.1% compared to September 2018. And it added that total retail sales for the three-month period from July through September headed up 0.6% compared to the same period a year ago.

Looking at some of the key retail segments it tracks, Commerce reported that retail trade sales slipped 0.3% compared to August and were up 4% annually, with non-store retail sales (which include e-commerce activity) rose 12.9% annually, and miscellaneous stores saw a 9.3% annual increase.

NRF reported that September retail sales were off 0.1%, from August to September, on a seasonally adjusted basis and up 4.5% on an unadjusted basis annually. NRF's numbers do not include automobile dealers, gas stations, and restaurants.

For the three-month period from July through September, retail sales were up 4.9% compared to the same span in 2018, up from a 4.1% annual spread from June through August, said NRF, adding that August retail sales were up 0.5% over July and up 4.7% annually.

“The pullback in September compared with August is possibly a reaction to increased fears over U.S.-China tensions,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a statement. “While uncertainty around trade policy and other issues has dampened consumer sentiment recently, consumers still have a lot going for them as evidenced by longer-term trends and factors like the tight labor market. September is a tricky month to measure because of seasonal factors like the end of summer and back-to-school spending, and this year's early Labor Day may have moved up some spending into the last days of August.”

Industry performance: NRF reported that online and other non-store sales were up 15.6% year-over-year and down 0.3% month-over-month seasonally adjusted, while general merchandise stores were down 0.2% year-over-year and down 0.3% month-over-month seasonally adjusted.

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