he good news is, as forecast by the Weekly Indicators, nominal retail sales for March increased +0.9%. February’s decline was shaved by .1% up to -0.5%.
The bad news is, even with that increase, retail sales have not exceeded their November 2014 high, either in nominal or real terms.
Let’s take a more detailed look. First, here’s a look at real, inflation-adjusted retail sales through February, normed to 100 at their November 2014 peak: