🚨BREAKING: US CONSUMER SPENDING SLOWS AS DECEMBER RETAIL SALES MISS EXPECTATIONS Delayed Commerce Department data released today showed December retail sales were unchanged at $735B, well below the 0.4% growth economists expected. Sales fell across autos, furniture, electronics, and clothing, categories hit hard by tariffs in 2025. Year over year growth slowed to 2.4%, below December's 2.7% CPI. Full year 2025 retail sales were still up 3.7%, though economists note growth was heavily driven by higher-income consumers while lower income spending remained cautious.