December Retail Sales Flatline: The Illusion of Economic Strength Shattered The numbers don’t lie. Retail sales in December were flat—0.0% growth—despite the biggest consumer push of the year: the holidays. Economists expected a modest 0.4% bump, and even that low bar wasn’t cleared. In fact, once you strip out volatile sectors like autos, sales were still unchanged. This isn’t just a one-off blip. It’s a systemic signal that the consumer engine driving America’s economy is running on fumes. Annual retail sales grew 2.4%, but inflation rose 2.7%—so real consumer spending power actually declined. Big-ticket sectors like furniture, clothing, and electronics all posted significant drops. Even online sales, the supposed savior of retail, eked out a pathetic 0.1% gain. Only building…
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