- Total retail sales -0.2% (+3.2% y/y) in Jan.; 0.0% (+2.4% y/y) in Dec.
- Ex-auto sales flat for a second month (+3.9% y/y); auto sales -0.9% (+0.1% y/y), third m/m fall in four months.
- Declines m/m: gasoline stations (-2.9%), clothing stores (-1.7%), sporting goods (-1.2%), electronics stores (-0.6%).
- Gains m/m: misc. stores (+2.0%), nonstore sales (+1.9%), furniture stores (+0.7%), bldg. materials (+0.6%).
Introducing
Winnie Tapasanun
in:Our Authors
Winnie Tapasanun has been working for Haver Analytics since 2013. She has 20+ years of working in the financial services industry. As Vice President and Economic Analyst at Globicus International, Inc., a New York-based company specializing in macroeconomics and financial markets, Winnie oversaw the company’s business operations, managed financial and economic data, and wrote daily reports on macroeconomics and financial markets. Prior to working at Globicus, she was Investment Promotion Officer at the New York Office of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) where she wrote monthly reports on the U.S. economic outlook, wrote reports on the outlook of key U.S. industries, and assisted investors on doing business and investment in Thailand. Prior to joining the BOI, she was Adjunct Professor teaching International Political Economy/International Relations at the City College of New York. Prior to her teaching experience at the CCNY, Winnie successfully completed internships at the United Nations. Winnie holds an MA Degree from Long Island University, New York. She also did graduate studies at Columbia University in the City of New York and doctoral requirements at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her areas of specialization are international political economy, macroeconomics, financial markets, political economy, international relations, and business development/business strategy. Her regional specialization includes, but not limited to, Southeast Asia and East Asia. Winnie is bilingual in English and Thai with competency in French. She loves to travel (~30 countries) to better understand each country’s unique economy, fascinating culture and people as well as the global economy as a whole.

Publications by Winnie Tapasanun
- USA| Mar 06 2026
U.S. Retail Sales Decline in January After Flat December
- Private payrolls +63K, eighth straight m/m gain and largest in three months.
- Hiring increase is driven by small businesses (+60K, strongest in four months).
- Service-sector jobs up (+47K), led by education & health svs. (+58K) and information (+11K).
- Goods-producing jobs up (+16K), driven by construction (+19K).
- Wage growth eases y/y for job changers (6.3%) but steady for job stayers (4.5%).
- ISM Mfg. PMI at 52.4 in Feb.; second consecutive month of expansion and only the third in 40 mths.
- Production (53.5) expands for the fourth straight mth.; new orders (55.8) expand for the second successive mth.
- Employment (48.8) contracts for the 29th straight mth. but at the slowest pace since Jan. ’25.
- Prices Index (70.5) hits its highest since June ’22, w/ prices rising for the 17th consecutive mth.
- Exports (50.3) expand for the second straight mth.; imports (54.9) reach the highest level since Feb. ’22.
- Headline +0.3% m/m, first m/m rise since August; -0.4% y/y, 11th consecutive y/y fall.
- Residential private construction +1.5% m/m, led by a 1.8% rebound in home improvement building.
- Nonresidential private construction -0.7% m/m, fifth m/m decline in six months.
- Public construction -0.5% m/m, reflecting drops in both residential & nonresidential public buildings.
- FHFA HPI +0.1% (+1.8% y/y) in Dec., the smallest of three straight m/m gains.
- House prices up m/m in six of nine census divisions, led by Middle Atlantic (+1.1%), but down in West South Central (-1.0%) and East South Central (-0.1%); prices flat m/m in Pacific.
- House prices up y/y in six of nine regions, led by East North Central (+5.2%), but down in Mountain (-0.6%), Pacific (-0.4%), and South Atlantic (-0.1%).
- House price growth accelerates to 0.8% q/q (+1.8% y/y) in Q4'25 from 0.3% q/q (+2.4% y/y) in Q3.
- December factory orders -0.7% m/m (+4.3% y/y); still 7.2% above the Jan. ’24 low.
- Durable goods -1.4% m/m; nondurable goods orders flat; shipments +0.5% m/m.
- Transportation orders -5.4% m/m, led by a 24.8% plunge in nondefense aircraft orders.
- Unfilled orders +0.9%, the fifth straight m/m rise.
- Inventories +0.1%, the second consecutive m/m increase.
- USA| Feb 20 2026
U.S. New Home Sales Decline in December After November’s Jump
- December sales -1.7% m/m (+3.8% y/y) to 745,000; still 43.5% above the July ’22 low.
- Sales m/m down the Northeast (-37.3%) and South (-6.7%), but up in the Midwest (+31.7%) and West (+9.0%).
- Median sales price up to a three-month-high $414,400; avg. price up to $532,600, highest since July ’22.
- Months' supply eases to 7.6 mths., lowest since July ’23.
- USA| Feb 18 2026
U.S. Housing Starts Advance in December to a Five-Month High
- Housing starts +6.2% (-7.3% y/y) to 1.404 mil. in Dec.; third m/m gain in four months.
- Single-family starts up to a 10-month high; multi-family starts up to a three-month high.
- Housing starts m/m up in the West, Northeast, and Midwest, but down in the South.
- Building permits recover to a nine-month high, led by a rebound in multi-family permits.
- HMI continues to weaken in Feb., indicating most builders remain pessimistic about the current and near-term housing outlook.
- Two of three HMI components fall, w/ the steepest m/m decline in potential buyers' traffic (-8.3%).
- Regional weakness continues, w/ the sharpest m/m drop in the West (-11.8%).
- January sales -8.4% (-4.4% y/y) to 3.91 mil., below expectations; steepest m/m fall since Feb. ’22.
- Widespread regional m/m declines: West (-10.3%), South (-9.0%), Midwest (-7.1%), Northeast (-5.9%); all regions down y/y.
- Median sales price -2.0% (+0.9% y/y) to $396,800, lowest since Feb. ’25.
- Unsold inventory -0.8% (+3.4% y/y) to 1.22 mil. units, a one-year low; 3.7 months' supply.
- December total retail sales -0.02%, below expectations; +2.4% y/y, lowest since Sept. ’24.
- Ex-auto sales +0.02% (+3.3% y/y) after six straight m/m rises; auto sales -0.2% (-1.1% y/y).
- Declines m/m: furniture stores (-0.9%), misc. stores (-0.9%), clothing stores (-0.7%).
- Gains m/m: bldg. materials (+1.2%), sporting goods (+0.4%), gasoline stations (+0.3%).
- USA| Feb 05 2026
U.S. JOLTS: Openings Drop to Lowest Level Since Sept. ’20; Hiring Rebounds in December
- Job openings down 5.6% (-12.9% y/y) to 6.542 mil., third straight m/m decline.
- Hiring up 3.4% (-1.5% y/y) to 5.293 mil., first m/m increase since September.
- Separations rise to a three-month high; quits reach a six-month high; layoffs rebound.
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