1021 ET - Santa had plenty of gifts for Canadians in December, with few apparent worries in the latest retail sales report, BMO reckons. Economist Shelly Kaushik says in a report that even if the sales momentum fades in the new year, the figures add to the argument for the Bank of Canada to pause at next month's policy meeting. Sales rose 2.5% on-month in December, much strongest than expected and the best growth rate since 2022. Sales were also up 2.5% in volume terms, the strongest pace since 2021. Kaushik says while the flash estimate suggests sales fell 0.4% in January, that doesn't retrace December's jump, so markets will need to wait to see if the year-end optimism truly faded. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 21, 2025 10:21 ET (15:21 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
免责声明：投资有风险，本文并非投资建议，以上内容不应被视为任何金融产品的购买或出售要约、建议或邀请，作者或其他用户的任何相关讨论、评论或帖子也不应被视为此类内容。本文仅供一般参考，不考虑您的个人投资目标、财务状况或需求。TTM对信息的准确性和完整性不承担任何责任或保证，投资者应自行研究并在投资前寻求专业建议。