The National Retail Federation is forecasting a 3.8% to 4.4% increase in retail sales for 2018. The forecast includes online and other non-store sales, which are expected to grow 10% to 12%. “With consumer confidence high, unemployment low and wages growing, there is every reason to believe that retail sales will be robust throughout the year,” said NRF Chief Executive Matthew Shay in a statement. The SPDR S&P Retail ETF is up 5.6% for the past year while the S&P 500 index is up 15.7% for the period and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 24.1%.
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