Key Highlights Retail Sales Performance Retail sales registered weak growth in February, with seven of 12 categories down, but sales were up year over year on a nominal and inflation-adjusted basis. The initial retail sales report for February showed a 0.2% growth, which was weaker than expected, following a 1.2% decline in January. Residential Construction … Continued
The Fed left monetary policy unchanged today at the conclusion of the second scheduled meeting of 2025. Following a similar no-change decision in January, this meeting featured updated forecasts and future rate perspectives, and the updated outlook is for less growth, more inflation and higher unemployment. None of that is good news for the auto … Continued
Cox Automotive’s Auto Market Report video delivers a comprehensive analysis of the current automotive market. Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke leads our effort to translate data and trends into actionable insights. This video covers a wide range of topics, including consumer spending patterns, consumer sentiment, retail vehicle sales, financing rates, supply dynamics, pricing trends and leading … Continued
Key Highlights Inflation Trends Inflation decelerated in February, with headline inflation declining to 2.8% year over year and core inflation declining to 3.1% year over year. Consumer Credit Trends Consumer credit excluding mortgages saw decelerating growth in January, according to the latest report from the Federal Reserve. Auto Credit Accessibility Access to auto credit improved … Continued
Key Highlights Employment Trends Job growth accelerated in February and came in close to expectations, but the unemployment rate increased, and wage growth decelerated. New-Vehicle Sales and Prices The new-vehicle sales pace, or seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), increased in February, but sales were slightly lower year over year with one fewer selling day. The … Continued
Cox Automotive’s Auto Market Report video delivers a comprehensive analysis of the current automotive market. Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke leads our effort to translate data and trends into actionable insights. This video covers a wide range of topics, including consumer spending patterns, consumer sentiment, retail vehicle sales, financing rates, supply dynamics, pricing trends and leading … Continued
Key Highlights Economic Growth and Inflation February flew by, and much like it started, we’re ending with anxiety about possible tariffs on Mexico and Canada around the corner. Consumer Spending and Income Consumer spending in January fell and was weaker than expected. Personal income growth jumped, driven mainly by increases in social security and Medicaid. … Continued
Key Highlights New-Vehicle Sales Forecast Cox Automotive forecasts a modest rebound in February’s new-vehicle sales, with a SAAR of 16.3 million, an improvement from last year’s 15.7 million and January’s 15.6 million pace. [Check back to the Newsroom for the forecast release later today.] Residential Construction Trends Residential construction trends were mixed in January as … Continued
Cox Automotive’s Auto Market Report video delivers a comprehensive analysis of the current automotive market. Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke leads our effort to translate data and trends into actionable insights. This video covers a wide range of topics, including consumer spending patterns, consumer sentiment, retail vehicle sales, financing rates, supply dynamics, pricing trends and leading … Continued
Key Highlights Inflation Trends Inflation accelerated in January, with vehicle prices, parts, and insurance contributing strongly to the gains as year-over-year inflation increased to 3.0% and core inflation increased to 3.3% year over year. Retail Sales Performance Retail sales declined 0.9% in January, as most categories declined, with winter weather playing a role. Vehicle sales … Continued