Retail sales were up 0.6 percent from the previous month, better than the consensus estimate of 0.4 percent. Excluding autos, September sales were up 0.4 percent, matching analysts' expectations. Maybe the 17.7 percent year over year jump in Halloween spending had something to do with the good results.
I discussed retail trends for the holiday season with CBS2 this morning:
Jill Schlesinger
Jill Schlesinger, CFP® is the Emmy-nominated business analyst for CBS News. She covers the economy, markets, investing and anything else with a dollar sign on TV, radio (including her nationally syndicated radio show), the web and her blog, "Jill on Money." Prior to her second career at CBS, Jill spent 14 years as the co-owner and chief investment officer for an independent investment advisory firm. She began her career as a self-employed options trader on the Commodities Exchange of New York, following her graduation from Brown University.