December Retail Report Signals Consumer Slowdown

The U.S. retail sales stalled in December, falling short of expectations as inflation and severe weather slowed holiday shopping, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

Sales were flat from November, missing economists’ forecast of a 0.5 percent increase, based on a Dow Jones survey.

*US RETAIL SALES WERE FLAT IN DECEMBER, MISSING EXPECTATIONS

🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Q0YSc6ybNa

— Investing.com (@Investingcom) February 10, 2026

Excluding autos, sales were also unchanged. On an annual basis, retail sales rose 2.4 percent, down from 3.3 percent in November.

The slowdown capped an otherwise steady year, driven largely by higher income consumers. Spending failed to keep pace with inflation, as consumer prices rose 2.7 percent in December, underscoring continued pressure on household budgets.

Also Read:

U.S. Job Openings Fall To Lowest Level In Eight Years

The U.S. job openings in December fell to their lowest level since before the pandemic, marking an eight-year low outside the brief COVID shutdown period. The decline suggests the labor market is cooling as companies slow hiring after the post-pandemic surge in demand for workers.

tippinsightsTIPP Staff

Data Center Construction Booms As Office Building Slows

Spending on U.S. data center construction has surged in recent years while office building construction has declined, reflecting weaker demand for office space and rising investment in digital infrastructure driven by cloud and AI growth. Also Read: AI Investment Fears Wipe $1 Trillion From Big Tech StocksMajor U.S.

tippinsightsTIPP Staff