Halloween shopping for costumes, candy, decorations, and more is forecast to reach $9.1 billion this year, up 8.3% from last year’s record $8.4 billion, according to survey data from the National Retail Federation. Consumers are expected to spend an average $86.13, up from $82.93 last year. Shoppers plan to spend $3.4 billion on costumes and $2.7 billion on both candy and decorations. The top costume for children is expected to be a superhero; witch will be the top choice for adults; and pumpkin costumes will be tops for pets. The SPDR S&P Retail ETF is down 8.2% for the year so far while the S&P 500 index is up nearly 12% for the period.
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