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Economy in Brief
U.S. Gasoline & Crude Oil Prices Continue to Rise
Retail gasoline prices increased to $2.55 per gallon (-1.9% y/y)...
ZEW's Global Assessments Remain Weak
ZEW survey expectations curled higher this month but continued to stake out very weak readings...
U.S. Home Builder Sentiment Remains Improved
The NAHB-Wells Fargo Composite Housing Market Index held steady at 62 during March...
EMU Trade Surplus Expands on Weak Import Rise
In the EMU, both import and export gains were modest in January...
U.S. JOLTS: Job Openings Remain Abundant
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the total job openings rate increased to 4.8% during January...
by Tom Moeller April 2, 2013
The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs reported that chain store sales surged 4.7% last week (2.3% y/y) to the highest level on record. The gain pulled March sales 2.6% above the February average which ticked up 0.1% from January. During the last ten years there has been a 61% correlation between the y/y change in chain store sales and the change in retail sales at general merchandise stores. That correlation recently has declined.
General merchandise store sales account for 15% of total retail sales. The ICSC-Goldman Sachs retail chain-store sales index is constructed using the same-store sales (stores open for one year) reported by 78 stores of seven retailers: Dayton Hudson, Federated, Kmart, May, J.C. Penney, Sears and Wal-Mart.
The chain store figures can be found in Haver's SURVEYW database.
| ICSC-Goldman Sachs (SA, 1977=100) | 03/30/13 | 03/23/13 | 03/16/13 | Y/Y | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Weekly Chain Store Sales | 559.3 | 534.1 | 543.5 | 1.9% | 3.0% | 3.2% | 2.9% |
| W/W % | 4.7 | -1.7 | 1.4 | -- | -- | -- |
