A key retail sales measure topped estimates and will add to third-quarter GDP growth.

Black Friday sales at a mall in Columbia, Md., on Nov. 24, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
U.S. retail sales were unexpectedly flat in October, as consumers appeared reluctant to open their wallets ahead of the holiday season.
Change in retail sales came in at zero percent, from a downwardly revised 0.1 percent increase in September, according to data released by the Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau on Dec. 16.


