US Retail Sales September

On Friday (or not) we will get another look at how the consumer fared during the month of September. Retail sales are expected to show an increase of 0.2%. While a lower read will be USD negative, traders should also dig through the report and understand where the gains are coming from.

Sales at gas stations for example are more economic negative, but obviously reported as positive retail sales, as it means consumers are paying more at the pump which means they have less disposable income available to spend on other sectors of the economy. Take a look at core retail sales which excludes food and energy to get a much better snapshot of the health of the US consumer.