Is it time to go shopping

Is it time to go shopping? The festive season is a critically important period for retailers. A significant proportion of their profits come from the pre- and post-Christmas period. Generally forecasts for this season have been negative and expectations low. In that context we thought it worthwhile to analyse some of the key metrics affecting consumer sales to draw a few general conclusions with respect to the current trading environment. These indicators include household wealth, unemployment, consumer confidence, interest rates, household debt and oil prices. The latest monthly newsletter from Auscap looks at the positive and negative indicators facing the retail sector. The newsletter can be downloaded here: (VIEW LINK) . To subscribe, please visit the website (VIEW LINK)