It’s not too early to report on holiday retail

By Rebecca McClay on Nov 19, 2009 in Beats

The official holiday shopping season is just a few weeks away and business journalists are not waiting to report on spending.

The New York Times is getting a jump start on reporting on retail trends with an article today on the many sectors noting a boost after many large chains reported a third quarter boost.

Retail sales rose more than expected in October, about 1.4 percent according to The Commerce Department. It’s almost twice what economists predicted. Excluding a jump in auto sales, the gain would have been .2 percent.

FOXBusiness reported on the “buying binge” with a piece on The Dow Jones average rising 136 points, about 1.33 percent.

In Boston, Harvard business professors are weighing in on the outlook for retail sales for the Boston Globe, saying they expect a brighter season than last year.

About the Author

Rebecca L. McClay is managing editor of www.creditunions.com and a contributor to Trefis, a financial analysis website. She recently interned for MarketWatch in San Francisco and Bloomberg in New York and was previously a business writer at The Gazette of Business & Politics in Maryland. She has been published in The Arizona Republic, The Wall Street Journal, The Baltimore Sun and more. Rebecca has been contributing articles to businessjournalism.org since 2009.