FYI: By gosh, by golly, the holiday retail outlook is jolly. Consumer sentiment recently reached its highest level since the turn of the century. The last time unemployment was this low was just after the first moon landing in 1969. Wages are rising at their fastest clip in nearly a decade. House prices will surely end the year higher. Even stocks, more naughty than nice since October, are hanging onto a modest gain for the year.
Backed by that swirl of good news, holiday sales are expected to increase 5% from a year ago, says brokerage firm Edward Jones. That’s faster than the five-year average, and it comes atop 5.6% growth last year—the fastest since before the 2007-09 recession. Inventories look lean. There’s even an added day versus last year between Thanksgiving and Christmas—prime shopping season.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.barrons.com/articles/these-retailers-have-learned-how-to-win-against-amazon-com-1542406347?mod=hp_LEAD_1
