A Ray of Light for Retail?

Retail sales are up 1% in January! Given the months of decline we've endured, an increase is cause for celebration, right? Experts caution maybe not.

According to this article on NYTimes.com, this 1% increase is better than "economists' expectations of an 0.8-percent decline." Still, sales are down 9.7% from where they were a year ago, adding emphasis that it's been a long fall down and a 1% increase isn't much in comparison.

But I say an increase is an increase, so one could certainly make an argument for a tiny celebration at least. Obviously retailers did something right in January. It may have been the longer store hours or the outrageous sales to shed leftover holiday inventory. Whatever it was, it worked.

Can we keep up the momentum through February? Fingers crossed. Throw a signed economic stimulus bill into the mix and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.