U.S. retail expected to rise on vaccine, Stimulus: report

U.S. retail sales could rise as much as 8.2 per cent to more than us$4.33 trillion this year as more people get the COVID-19 vaccine and the economy reopens, the National retail Federation (NRF) said on Wednesday. The economy is expected to see its fastest growth in over two decades as the rollout of the vaccine to consumers should permit accelerated growth during the mid-year, the trade group said. NRF expects the overall economy to gain between 220,000 and 300,000 jobs per month in 2021. Preliminary results show retail sales for 2020 grew 6.7 per cent to us$4.06 trillion, NRF said. The retail sales numbers exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. u.s. retail sales are expected to rise between 6.5 per cent and 8.2 per cent in 2021, the NRF said.