US retail sales surprise again with 0.6% rise in December

Summary: US retail sales up 0.6% in December, rise exceeds expectation; annual growth rate accelerates to 5.6%; US Treasury yields rise; rate-cut expectations soften; higher sales in nine of thirteen categories; “non-store retails” largest single influence on month’s result. US retail sales had been trending up since late 2015 but, commencing in late 2018, a series of weak or negative monthly results led to a drop-off in the annual growth...

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