Retails and foods services sales slightly increased again in December compared with November 2011’s sales, and were also above the sales at December 2010.
The U.S. Department of Commerce issued its monthly report on the change in the U.S. retail and food sales during December 2011.
This report adjusts for seasonal variances and holidays but doesn’t control for price changes. In December, the U.S. retail and food sales reached $400.6 billion, which is 0.1% above the sales in November and 6.5% above December 2010. The gasoline stations sales were 8.9% higher in December 2011 than a year earlier but 1.6% lower than in November 2011. Total sales of gasoline in the past twelve months in 2011 reached $533.559 billion (not adjusted for seasonality) – an increase of 17.7% from the parallel time in 2010. This shows a a growth rate in the U.S demand for retail and consequently for energy commodities.
The major energy commodities prices are currently traded up; the major exchange rates such as the Euro US dollar is also traded up in the forex exchange rate market.
Current Nymex crude oil price, short term futures (February 2012 delivery) is traded up by 0.87% to $101.75 per barrel as of 17:01*.
Current Dated Brent spot oil price increases by $0.81/b to $113.25 / barrel as of 17:11*.
Euro to US dollar exchange rate is currently traded up to 1.2819, a 0.8873% increase as of 17:02*.
Current gold price, short term futures (February 2012 delivery) is traded at $1,662.9 per t oz. a $5.3 decrease as of 16:30*.
(* GMT)
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