Highlights
Stronger to mixed are the results of August sales from chain stores where rates of year-on-year growth, on net, are slightly stronger than what was a very strong July. Most chains are reporting strength in back-to-school sales which points directly to strength for the apparel component of the August retail sales report. But gains are definitely not uniform with a significant minority of chains reporting weak sales or flat sales. A telltale indication that total acceleration is limited is the fact that chains are sticking to guidance which suggests that sales growth came in on trend during the month.

But today's results do hint at a monthly gain for the ex-auto ex-gas reading of the August retail sales report, a gain that would come on top of July's big 0.9 percent monthly surge. One big factor that is not part of today's results is gasoline, as sales at gasoline stations appear very likely to jump due to the big price increase underway at the pump. Rounding out the outlook for the August retail sales report will be motor vehicle sales on Tuesday.

2012 Release Schedule

Released On: 1/5 2/2 3/1 4/5 5/3 5/31 7/5 8/2 8/30 10/4 11/1 11/29 Release For: Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov