US Retail Sales Flat in December, Missing Expectations

‘Consumer spending has finally caught up with consumer sentiment,’ one investment expert said. Shoppers on Black Friday at a mall in Bethesda, Md., on Nov. 28, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times2/10/2026|Updated: 2/10/2026U.S. consumers were reluctant to open their wallets during the pivotal holiday shopping season, as retail sales unexpectedly stalled, according to new Census Bureau data released on Feb. 10.December’s retail sales came in at zero percent following a 0.6 percent jump in November 2025—the best monthly gain since July.Andrew Moran has been writing about business, economics, and finance for more than a decade. He is the author of “The War on Cash.”Author’s Selected Articles