Why the U.S. Retail Sales Numbers Are a Bit Suspicious

The video discusses discrepancies in retail sales reports, highlighting how government data showed an increase in April despite retailers reporting poor sales. It explains the concept of seasonal adjustments used to account for factors like holidays and weather. The video reveals statistical manipulations that inflated April's numbers and compares seasonal adjustments for March and April, raising suspicions about the data's accuracy.

What was the main discrepancy discussed in the first section?

• Both retailers and the government reported strong sales.

• Both retailers and the government reported weak sales.

• Retailers reported weak sales while the government reported strong sales.

• Retailers reported strong sales while the government reported weak sales.

What is the purpose of seasonal adjustments in economic data?

• To increase sales figures artificially.

• To account for factors like holidays and weather.

• To decrease sales figures artificially.

• To ignore external factors affecting sales.

How did the seasonal adjustment for April differ from previous years?

• It was not applied at all.

• It was the same as previous years.

• It was set lower than usual.

• It was set higher than usual.

What was the effect of the low bar set for April's data?

• It resulted in an inflated reported sales figure.

• It resulted in a lower reported sales figure.

• It had no effect on the reported sales figure.

• It caused the sales figure to be ignored.

What was suspicious about the adjustments made in March and April?

• Both months had unusually high adjustments.

• Both months had unusually low adjustments.

• March had a high adjustment while April had a low one.

• April had a high adjustment while March had a low one.