Retail Sales Growth Outperforms Expectations Despite Headwinds, Though Spending May Slow

Retail sales rose 0.7% in September, exceeding forecasts and marking the sixth straight monthly gain.
Sales increased across categories like restaurants, online retailers, groceries, and autos, indicating resilient consumer spending.
However, sales fell for clothing, electronics, appliances, and building materials amid high inflation and interest rates.
Strong September retail data raises possibility of a December interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve.
Analysts caution high prices, global tensions, and other factors may curb spending going forward.