Chinu, you must have missed my post to someone else. Those number don't make any sense. They have adjusted them beyond all reason. Look at the unadjusted numbers and there isn't a single retail number that increased month over month, not one. These "adjustments" are simply out of control.
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Retail Sales: Oh C'mon
There comes a point where one has to raise the "BS!" flag high and wave it big. This would be one of those times.
The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $412.9 billion, an increase of 1.1 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month and 5.4 percent (±0.7%) above September 2011. Total sales for the July through September 2012 period were up 4.8 percent (±0.5%) from the same period a year ago. The July to August 2012 percent change was revised from 0.9 percent (±0.5%) to 1.2 percent (±0.3%).This is literally all seasonal adjustment. Yes, I mean it.
First, the unadjusted 2011-2012 number is up 3.02%, not 5.4% ($379,330 -> 390,766.) And there are no "seasonal adjustments" in an annualized change.
Second, taking out food and energy it's a 2.83% increase (284,232 - 292,270); both are about 1% when CPI is removed (if you believe CPI.)
Just look at the below from the release, and find me just one unadjusted increase month-over-month.
Yeah.
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