Q2 2026 U.S. Retail Preview: Broadline Retail Drives Growth

The U.S. consumer remains resilient enough to support earnings growth, but that resilience is increasingly concentrated. The LSEG U.S. Retail and Restaurant Q2 earnings index, which tracks changes in the growth rate of earnings within the sector, is expected to show a 67.0% growth over last year's levels. Of the 185 retailers tracked by LSEG, the Broadline Retail sector, representing a wide variety of consumer goods, is headed for the highest earnings growth rate in the second quarter, recording a 231.1% surge over last year's level.

Seeking Alpha • Aug 17, 2026

Retail Sales Fall Unexpectedly in July

U.S. headline retail sales fell unexpectedly in July, down 0.6% to $763.6B in July, while core retail sales fell unexpectedly by 0.3%. Key Takeaways Headline retail sales fell unexpectedly in July, down 0.6% to $763.6 billion.

ETF Trends • Aug 14, 2026

Retail ETFs: Following the Selective Consumer

The consumer remains resilient, but spending is becoming increasingly selective. Bank of America's August Consumer Checkpoint showed total card spending per household increased 5.0% year-over-year in July, with spending excluding gasoline up 4.3%. Although growth moderated from June, Bank of America attributed much of that slowdown to the fading of temporary boosts, including the timing of major online sales and World Cup related spending, rather than a broad deterioration in underlying demand.

ETF Trends • Aug 13, 2026

Amazon's Q2 Blowout: 2 ETFs to Consider

On Thursday, July 30, Amazon Inc.(AMZN) released its Q2 2026 earnings report. Given its crucial position as a Mag 7 mega-cap straddling both tech and e-commerce, Amazon's earnings reports are usually closely watched by the broader investing community.

ETF Trends • Jul 31, 2026

VettaFi's Murphy Discusses Q2 Earnings & Sector Trends on CNBC's ETF Edge

VettaFi Director of Research Cinthia Murphy appeared on CNBC's ETF Edge to discuss second-quarter earnings, thematic ETFs, and sector trends.

ETF Trends • Jul 21, 2026

Weekly Economic Snapshot: Inflation Cools, But Energy Headwinds Loom

A handful of key economic data points dropped last week, painting a picture of an economy that is successfully downshifting from its recent inflation peaks even as consumers keep their footing.

ETF Trends • Jul 20, 2026

Rising Consumer Spending Builds Investment Case For IBUY ETF

Despite obstinate inflation and higher-for-longer interest rates, consumers continue to open their wallets and spend. But how they spend is another story.

ETF Trends • Jul 16, 2026

Retail Sales Rise for Fifth Straight Month

According to the Census Bureau's Advance Retail Sales Report, consumer spending rose for a fifth straight month in June. Headline sales were up 0.2% as expected, marking a slowdown from May's 1.0% increase.

ETF Trends • Jul 16, 2026

Mid-Year 2026 U.S. Retail/Restaurant Outlook

The LSEG Retail/Restaurant Index reported Q1 2026 earnings growth of 27.2%. Retail earnings in the first quarter of 2026 received a significant boost from a historic tax refund season, reinforcing consumer spending at a time when the labor market remained resilient. Q2 2026 earnings are currently expected to mark the weakest growth rate of the year, with consensus forecasts calling for a gradual improvement during the second half of the year.

Seeking Alpha • Jul 7, 2026

Amplify Online Retail ETF Rides a Summer Surge in Performance

The Amplify Online Retail ETF (IBUY) has rallied over the past month, signaling a robust appetite for online consumer discretionary spending despite persistent macroeconomic headwinds. Outsized gains in specialized healthcare retail and online travel names have driven performance for IBUY's underlying index.

ETF Trends • Jul 2, 2026