**[U.S. December Retail Sales Unexpectedly Stagnate, Holiday Season Ends Weakly]** Deep Tide TechFlow reports, on February 10, citing Jintou Data, U.S. retail sales in December unexpectedly stagnated, indicating that consumers were more cautious with their spending at the end of the year. Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce on Tuesday showed that retail sales, unadjusted for inflation, remained flat after a 0.6% increase in November. Sales excluding auto dealerships and gas stations also remained flat. Among 13 retail categories, 8 experienced declines, including clothing stores and furniture stores. Auto dealership sales also fell. Meanwhile, spending at building material stores and sporting goods retailers increased. These figures indicate that consumer spending momentum weakened as the holiday shopping season drew to a close. Although many economists expect tax refunds this year to support early-year demand, households remain dissatisfied with high living costs and continue to worry about the job market. The breadth of consumer spending is also concerning. Wealth created by rising stock markets may stimulate demand, but there are signs that non-essential spending by low-income Americans, who primarily rely on modest wage growth, is less robust.