Canada's retail sales rose 0.9% in December to $67.3bn, primarily driven by new car sales.

Canada's retail sales rose 0.9% in December to reach $67.3bn, driven by strong new car sales. However, Statistics Canada's early estimate for January indicates a potential 0.4% decrease in retail sales for the first month of 2024. Retail sales increased in five of the nine subsectors tracked in December, with motor vehicle and parts dealers subsector rising by 1.9%. In volume terms, retail sales increased by 0.8%.