Amid the carnage in Macy's, Nordstrom, and JCPenney, one could be forgiven for expecting a weak retail sales print and sure enough... Following a 0.1% dip in September, 'control group' retail sales rose just 0.2% (half the expected 0.4% rise). Furthermore, having fallen 0.3% MoM last month, retail sales ex-autos rose just 0.2% (again missing the expected 0.4% gain). October saw retail sales declines in Motor sales, Electronics, Food and Beverage, Gasoline Sales, and General Merchandise. Most notable is the drop in year-over-year gains (and downward revisions) to a rise of just 1.7% - the 2nd weakest since the financial crisis. Charts: Bloomberg