Retail Sales In The US Have Been A Total Head-Scratcher (XRT, DIA, SPX, SPY, QQQ, WMT, KATE, M, TCS, FDO, BOBE, KORS)

Retail sales went nowhere in July. The latest release from the Census Bureau showed that in July retail sales were flat. Expectations were for sales to increase 0.2%. Ian Shepherdson at Pantheon Macroeconomics said the report was "a bit disappointing." Shepherdson noted that, "Decent gains in clothing, miscellaneous and healthcare were offset by a hefty 0.5% drop in general merchandise and 0.1% dips in furniture, electronics and non-store." Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Toky...