VanEck Retail ETF

RTH

Market cap $266M

The Advance Retail Sales Report from the Census Bureau showed consumer spending was more robust than expected in February. Headline sales rose 0.6%, a step up from January's 0.1% decline and better than the projected 0.5% growth.

U.S. consumer spending has remained resilient, but there is a growing divide in who is spending and what they're spending on. In what many economists describe as a K-shaped economy, higher-income households have continued to prosper, allowing them to spend freely, while lower-income consumers have scaled back as elevated prices, lagging incomes, and rising debt have taken a toll.

The Advance Retail Sales Report from the Census Bureau showed consumer spending was down less than feared in January. Headline sales slipped 0.2%, a step down from December's flat reading but better than the projected 0.3% decline.

XRT and other retail ETFs come into focus after flat December sales and weak real spending cast a shadow over the 2025 holiday season.

The U.S. economy began 2026 with a display of unexpected resilience in the labor market, even as long-term data revisions painted a more modest picture of 2025 growth. While consumer spending showed signs of exhaustion during the holiday season, inflation continued its downward trajectory, reaching levels not seen in several years.

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Consumer Discretionary - Retail segment of the equity market, the VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on December 20, 2011.

The Advance Retail Sales Report from the Census Bureau showed consumer spending was unexpectedly flat in December. Headline sales were unchanged, down from November's 0.6% reading and below the projected 0.4% growth.

As the second half of January begins, the U.S. economy presents a picture of cooling inflation and resilient consumer activity. While consumer price growth hit a six-month low in December and retail sales rebounded to start the holiday season, investor sentiment has reached a fever pitch.

November's Advance Retail Sales Report from the Census Bureau showed a pickup in consumer spending. Headline sales were up 0.6%, up from -0.1% pullback in October and above the projected 0.5% growth.

RTH hits a new 52-week high, rising 28.2% from its low, as strong gains in top retail holdings fuel fresh momentum.