December 31, 2025
Here are our picks for top news impacting retailers today:
- The U.S. economy could be set to accelerate in 2026, according to The Economist’s. Citing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s optimism, the outlet wrote: “His optimism has foundation. The effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (BBB), a tax-cutting law enacted in July, will soon start to be felt. Americans will receive refunds that reflect retroactive tax cuts on income from 2025. They will also find that levies on monthly earnings have fallen” (via The Economist).
- The U.S. dollar, conversely, could be headed for one of its most difficulty years in recent memory. The dollar is poised to perhaps see the most significant dip it’s observed over the past eight years, with more losses possible if the Fed continues deeper interest rate slashes (via Bloomberg).
- Nike saw its share price trend upward in premarket trading Dec. 31, perhaps bolstered by Apple CEO Tim Cook adding approximately 50,000 shares to his portfolio, in addition to several other notable buy-ins. “Wall Street appears optimistic that the stock can rebound. The average analyst polled by LSEG has a buy rating and price target suggesting shares can rise about 26% over the next year,” CNBC’s Alex Harring wrote (via CNBC).
- Luxury stores and thrift stores both managed to capture significant traffic throughout 2025, represent both ends of the cost spectrum. “Foot traffic at thrift stores and luxury chains increased compared to traditional apparel this year, with thrift stores especially seeing large jumps in foot traffic. Outside of February, visits to thrift stores were up more than 5% compared to last year in each month from January to November,” CSA writer Zachary Russell outlined (via Chain Store Age).
- A $935 million deal to purchase 117 JCPenney store properties remains in flux, with prospective buyers Onyx Partners signaling a remaining interest to close the purchase promptly, while competing reports suggest the deal has fallen through. “It is hard to know exactly why the deal collapsed. The missed deadline sounds like a cover for something else, especially if Onyx is still keen to move forward,” said Neil Saunders, GlobalData managing director of retail and RetailWire BrainTrust panelist (via Forbes).