Bill Cheney Represents Quotations

This is simply what a recession is like. This report represents real people and real pain, especially around the holidays.

The retail sales number is perhaps more important than it would look at first sight. Since we're coming so close to the Christmas shopping season when most of the retail sales of the year happen, anything that represents a gauge of consumer sentiment and consumer buying patterns is going to be latched onto by the retail industry as an important indicator.