Year after year, nearly-real-time data on Black Friday shopping is publicized to show one trend or another about the health of the US consumer.
On Saturday, there was talk about a 22% rise in online sales. Today it’s a 0.5% y/y decline in overall retail, according to ShopperTrak.
It’s possible to reconcile the numbers but more often than not, when the official data comes out in January, the hard data often shows no correlation between these PR stunts and reality. Markets are wise to it so don’t expect any reaction on Monday.
