Dive Summary:

• According to a report by Redbook Research, U.S> retail sales declined slightly through the first three weeks of June. Redbook Research tracks consumer spending and same-store sales trends within the U.S.
• Retail revenues dropped 0.5% this month but remained 2.8% higher in year-over-year totals when compared to the same period in 2012.
• Despite the report, U.S. stocks remain ‘firm’ with the S&P climbing 10 points and DJIA futures experiencing an increase of nearly 70 points.

From the article:

What is interesting here is that June and July are considered to be throwaway months in the retail segment, so a drop from May does not tell you the whole story. The difference from a year ago is what matters to us because this is more current data and almost real-time.