Mar. 6 at 1:52 PM
Retail sales just dropped a surprise:
January sales fell 0.2%, but that's still better than Wall Street's gloomy forecast.
Here's what stood out:
Clothing stores crushed it, up 5.1% year-over-year. Gap, Urban Outfitters, American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch: all clear winners.
Health & personal care is booming too. Walgreens, Rite Aid, Ulta Beauty, Sally Beauty, National Vision, up 6.4%. Consumers are investing in looking good.
Shopping from home? Nonstore retailers like Amazon, Wayfair, and Etsy still grew 5.3%, but the pace is slowing post-holiday.
Restaurants and bars? Up 4.7%. People are still eating out despite rising prices.
On the flip side, auto dealers slumped, down 1.3%. Carvana, CarMax, Lithia Motors, and peers are feeling the pain.
Furniture stores fell hardest, down 5.6%. It's a tough road for home goods.
Bottom line:
Consumer habits are shifting, and the winners are adapting fast.
Who do you think will come out on top next quarter?
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