The retail sales in the usa for October were better than expected, providing additional assurance regarding the health of usa consumers as they enter the important holiday season. Scott Helfstein, head of investment strategy at Global X, believes this data may be more valuable for the Federal Reserve and investors than the CPI to be released on Wednesday: "Given the slight softness in the labor market, consumer health is a key issue for the upcoming earnings season and possible tariff increases." However, some economists worry that the slowdown in sales for October may exceed expectations. Aditya Bhave, an economist at bank of america, stated that retail sales may have actually declined due to reduced discretionary spending in states affected by Hurricane 'Milton' and unfavorable seasonal adjustments. Citigroup economists led by Gisela Hoxha also take a cautious stance on this report, pointing out that spending on Citibank credit cards in some retail categories decreased by 1.65% compared to last month, suggesting that the report will reflect more moderate consumption. Hoxha wrote, "We still expect the labor market to weaken in the coming months, which will weigh on consumption."