Retail Sales "Unexpectedly Fall In December"

"Unexpected" only because we have been so systematically misled by the government and the financial media about the state of the US economy.

People bought in November in expectations and a believe in the recovery. And buying tailed off quickly in December as they realized it was a hoax: there would be instead of recovery a long cold Kondratieff winter.


Yahoo Finance
Retail sales unexpectedly fall in December
January 14, 2010, 8:34 am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly fell in December as consumer spent less on vehicles and an array of other goods during the holiday shopping month, data showed on Thursday, raising concerns about the durability of the economy's recovery.

The Commerce Department said total retail sales fell 0.3 percent last month, the first decline in three months, after rising by an upwardly revised 1.8 percent in November. Sales in November were previously reported to have increased 1.3 percent.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales gaining 0.5 percent last month...

Watching the Senate Testimony

Ad hoc observations.

Lloyd Blankfein seems like Al Capone as compared to Jamie Dimon as Lucky Luciano.



If I were a prosecutor, I would key in on Lloyd because of his edgy, talkative nervousness.

Is there a purpose to this questioning or is it just for show? Are they going to
be interviewing critics of the banking system's actions in this crisis at any point?

Lloyd is fruitful ground. "Money became plentiful, and so people paid less attention to risk." Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Ben.
As if anyone except for a Federal Reserve governor would not already understand that relationship.

This is pure theater.

Weekly Gold Chart

1100 is key support. 1180 is key resistance.

Everything else is noise.

Watch the price of silver for any confirmations.
That market is tight, and less politically motivated.