elections, hurricanes to affect retail spending

People look at the holiday window displays at a Macy’s store in Herald Square on December 11, 2023 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images Inflation may have cooled, but retailers are still staring down a holiday season with plenty of uncertainty. Several hard-to-predict factors will influence consumers’ spending, as they deck the halls and look…

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Retail sales rose 0.4% in September, better than expected; jobless claims dip

Consumer spending held up in September, underscoring a resilient economy that is now getting a boost from the Federal Reserve, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Retail sales increased a seasonally adjusted 0.4% on the month, up from the unrevised 0.1% gain in August and better than the 0.3% Dow Jones forecast, according to the advance report. Excluding autos, sales…

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