US government will report retail sales Wednesday "On Wednesday, the US government will report retail sales for July. The Commerce Department said consumer spending grew at a 4% pace in the second quarter, and May and June were particularly strong. Wall Street analysts expect retail sales remained solid in July, even though consumer sentiment dipped a bit.
Higher inflation is beginning to eat into people's paychecks. Wage growth has remained tepid, yet gas prices are rising, and tariffs have boosted prices on everything from cars to soda.
Reading between the lines - "consumer sentiment dipped a bit" could signal a new trend in light of the uncertainty of trade policies, and recent developments, i.e. "Higher inflation is beginning to eat into people's paychecks. Wage growth has remained tepid, yet gas prices are rising, and tariffs have boosted prices on everything from cars to soda."
https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/12/investing/stocks-week-ahead-retail/index.html
b.