The AgendaTrading
US Retail Sales (October 2026)
The Census Bureau's advance estimate shows whether US shoppers kept spending in October after a 0.8% jump in September.
Until it begins
- 07
- Days
- 20
- Hours
- 19
- Minutes
Event time: · America/New_York
What it is
The Census Bureau publishes its advance estimate of October retail and food services sales at 8:30 am Eastern time. In September sales rose 0.8% from August to $745.0 billion and were 6.3% higher than a year earlier, and August was revised up to a 1.3% gain.
Why it matters
Retail sales are the first hard reading each month on US consumer spending, the engine of roughly two-thirds of the economy. They arrive a week after the October inflation report and a day before the minutes of the Fed's October meeting, where two officials voted to raise rates: strong sales would strengthen the case for tighter policy at the December 8-9 meeting, and a sharp slowdown would weaken it.
What to watch
- 01
The monthly change after September's 0.8% rise
- 02
The control group, which feeds into GDP estimates
- 03
Revisions to August and September
- 04
Spending at restaurants and bars, a gauge of discretionary demand
