Retail Sales in U.S. Decrease to End Weakest Year Since 2009

Hey, how's that Obama economy working out for ya?

So, after 7 years of Obama's Presidency, the economy is still on life support.

The chart below is very telling. It definitely shows a downward trend. That's not good.

People in the know are saying that 2016 might be a rough year.

Time will tell.

Retail Sales in U.S. Decrease to End Weakest Year Since 2009

 

Many people just don't want to spend the money on Christmas presents because they have gotten selfish. Many of those same people don't want to buy nice clothes at Macy's but want to buy cheap clothes at Walmart. It is the consumers' fault.

 

The problem is that the trillions of dollars in debt went to hire more government employees while the people in the private sector have seen their jobs vanish and their pay decrease while government employees still make three times what the same job in the private sector pays.

It is no wonder that the little people out here in Realville still don't see the light at the end of the "0"bama tunnel.

 

Clearly, this calls for MORE tax hikes and massive new government programs!!

 

Please tell me that you're just being sarcastic.

If not, I'd really like to know how you can blame the US consumer for the present financial mess that we are in.

 

Financial mess?
Economies naturally go through cycles like this
So far, nothing remarkable seems afoot imo

 

Somebody didn't get what they were hoping for on Christmas morning.

 

LMFAO! You can't be serious now, can ya?

 

It is and its not. I have already read and heard plenty on the news feeds about where all that money is going that should be there from low gas prices we have had over the past few months. You understand you are supposed to use that income to buy goods, they are not seeing the bump; some of these analysts are going to expect that money to go right back into the economy and not saved.

 

its because you have already eaten the economic recovery with student debt and cc debt. The extra money is going there.

 

Thats a good possibility for a large portion going towards debt

 

its not going to end either. People may just be paying off interest. they really need debt relief especially from student loans and your not going to get that from a wall street backed candidate.

 

No complaints at all here...

 

You realize that your chart shows that retail sales have *increased* every year since 2009?

What we're talking about is "sales increases that are smaller than some people want", not actual declines in retail sales.

If you look at it over the last 20 years, recent annual increases in retail sales are on par with the historical average:
http://www.macrotrends.net/1371/retail-sales-historical-chart

So I'm not sure what the complaint is.

 

/thread

 

You just got to love all that "change " he promised !

 

Interesting how this news was held until after Obama's state of the union.

 

Since people in the finance world expect the fed to increase rates again in April, yes it is going to be a rough year for many. Since there appears to be no economic driver in these decisions, it is hard not to be very skeptical about their motives.

As for retail sales, who knows. I spent significantly less than in years past, but there really wasn't a reason. I just wasn't feeling Christmas this year. About half of what I spent was on me to take advantage of the lower prices for stuff I will need later.

I do have a question that even the Great Deckel has no idea what the answer is or should be. If I buy a $100 Visa gift card from Target for $105 and give to you and you do not use it until April, how does that appear in the numbers? Does the economy only get the $5 for the card and then the $100 when you spend it, all $105 now, $105 now and another $100 when you spend it, or what? I ask because gift cards are more frequent gifts and I am not sure how that may play into the retail numbers.

 

Interesting that Americans have no problem spending hundreds of million$ on lottery tickets every week, can fill all the casinos to capacity, yet not have more money to spend on tangible and/or essential stuff?

Also interesting how many Americans use credit purchases to buy stuff they truly don't need, and load up the debt, and when debt money is no longer available, there's little cash for consumption.

Lastly, if you take the total quantity of workers, and multiply this by their take home wages, this is a basically finite amount of money that can be spent into the economy. Assuming people are not hoarding cash, in what possible way can we greatly increase this pot of money to allow more consumption? We have wage increases which are generally offset by inflation.

 

Perhaps the Labor Department is not really telling the truth.

 

You mean the news that retail sales have increased every year since 2009? Do people on the right know how to read and understand numbers? I have my doubts.

 

Fact is retail sales plunged and that info was withheld until after Obama praised his smoke and mirrors economy

 

I notice retail sales dropped after Republicans took control of Congress. Coincidence? I think not.


See how easy that is to do?

This partisan rah-rah BS is just that. We can't solve problems until we get past it.

 

Face facts, the economic data was withheld until after, Obama's speech.

 

I never knew that the Republican congress had any control on retail sales. Amazing.