Nominally, retail sales were unchanged in December, after a downwardly revised +0.5% in November.

Markets are anticipating just a 1-in-5 chance of easing at the next FOMC meeting. 

After November’s strong rebound, economists expected retail sales to rise 0.4% month-over-month in December, but the data disappointed, showing no growth and marking the weakest year-over-year increase since September 2024.

The update says crypto markets are volatile and technically mixed, with some short-term rebound potential but bigger-picture risks still present, as traders watch key support and resistance levels.