US DATA: wk 18-Aug ICSC-Goldman Store Sales: “continued to post
mixed results with sequential performance off by 1.5% from the prior
week, while the year-over-year pace was a healthy 3.1%. State tax
holidays were present during this past week in Maryland (August 12-18)
and Texas (August 17-19) and both occurred last year as well. The only
state to still hold its state tax holiday for back-to-school purchases
will be Connecticut (August 19-25). The ICSC-GS consumer tracking
survey found that overall customer traffic was stronger this past week
than last week, possibly helped by the array of retailer back-to-school
promotions, including free haircuts and sweepstakes to win iPads.
Weather was a neutral factor overall.”