The National Retail Federation (NRF) issued an estimate yesterday for U.S. retail sales growth in 2019, predicting a rise of between 3.8 percent and 4.4 percent to a total of over $3.8 trillion in spending. That would compare to growth of about 4.6 percent in 2018, according to the group’s preliminary estimates for last year. “The biggest priority is to ensure that our economy continues to grow and to avoid self-inflicted wounds,” said NRF President and Chief Executive Matthew Shay. “It’s time for artificial problems like trade wars and shutdowns to end, and to focus on prosperity, not politics.”