Takeaway: Not a good start for Retail Sales data. Holiday hiring plans are both anemic and backward-looking.

Retail Sales: #Blah - ret1

It has not been a good week for Retail Sales data so far, as the ICSC year-over-year percentage change clocked in at +1.6%.

That matches the lowest reading since May.

While we traditionally see a strong sequential uptick in week 38, someone clearly forgot to tell the US consumer. Let’s see if the chilly start to autumn helps next week’s data. 

Retail Sales: #Blah - bri1

Retail Sales: #Blah - bri2

Editor's note: This is a brief excerpt from Hedgeye Research courtesy of Retail Sector Head Brian McGough. For more information on how you can begin receiving Hedgeye research, including "Investing Ideas" and "Real-Time Alerts" please click here