On a Y/Y growth basis, there’s a 96% correlation between real retail sales and real private consumption by households and non-profit institutions. Using a simple linear regression, the annual growth rate of consumption should stabilize somewhat in Q2 compared to Q1.
Across the region, real retail sales in Ireland, Estonia, and Germany are the only reported countries to see growth through Q2.
Note: the chart below illustrates the 3-Month/3-Month growth rate through June 2012 (Q2/Q1).
On balance, Q2 domestic consumption spending in the Euro area is expected to be buoyed by Germany through June. The problem is, German retail sales growth have just a 38% correlation with real consumption growth, so the bump in retail sales won’t necessarily feed through to consumption at the aggregate level.
Euro area real consumption is still contracting. The question then becomes: will the pace of consumption contraction increase or decrease in coming quarters? We’ll have to watch leading indicators such as retail and consumer confidence, both of which deteriorated in July.
Rebecca Wilder