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MBS RECAP: Dormant Data Returns in a Big Way

Posted To: MBS Commentary

Of all the reports silenced by the government shutdown, Retail Sales was probably the most missed. It didn't help that December is a rather important month for such data. December's report finally arrived today, and it made waves . While there has been some question as to how quickly markets would be willing to "trust" the economic data affected by the shutdown, traders were instantly willing to react in this case for 2 reasons. First off, the Census Bureau simply told markets that its collection efforts were solid right on the front page of the report. But even more important , in this case, was the size of the miss, with sales falling at their fastest pace since 2009. It was also a rare "down December" for the series, with 2014 being the only other example during...(read more)