RAPAPORT...  There was little week-to-week change in U.S. chain store sales during this past week, but comparable sales did increase 2.4 percent from one year ago, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs.

“Sales edged lower again in the latest week as mild weather depressed sales of seasonal goods,” said Michael P. Niemira, ICSC's chief economist. “Customer traffic patterns were also mixed, with improvement at department stores, but weaker at grocery stores, drug stores and discounters. 

"Easy year-over-year comparisons will dominate throughout the month of November and as a result, ICSC Research expects November sales could be as strong as up 5 to 8 percent for the month — but right now, sales are tracking under that easy-comparison inflated pace,” Niemira added. 

October numbers from the government, which came out yesterday, reflected a 1.7 percent drop in overall retail sales, while department store sales fell 2.9 percent to $15.6 billion. The National Retail Federation (NRF) also reported a 1.3 percent sales contraction for October.

LH