South Korea's retail sales posted their first month-on-month rise in three months in November, up 0.4%, after dipping 0.8% (revised down from -0.4%) in October and 0.3% in September. On the year, sales slumped 1.9% for the ninth straight decline, following a 0.9% drop (revised down from -0.8%) in October.

Household spending remains sluggish amid high costs for daily necessities and elevated household debt. Consumer sentiment has dropped amid political uncertainty heightened by parliament's impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The Q3 GDP data showed that the Korean economy grew just 0.1% on quarter in the July-September period, rebounding from a 0.2% contraction. The slight growth was backed by government expenditures and private consumption.

Retail Sales measure the total receipts at stores that sell durable and nondurable goods. The data are part of the Monthly Industrial Statistics report.

With consumer spending a large part of the economy, market players continually monitor spending patterns. The pattern in consumer spending is often the foremost influence on stock and bond markets. For stocks, strong economic growth translates to healthy corporate profits and higher stock prices. For bonds, the focus is whether economic growth goes overboard and leads to inflation. Ideally, the economy walks that fine line between strong growth and excessive (inflationary) growth.

Retail sales not only give you a sense of the overall picture, but also the trends among different types of retailers. Especially strong apparel or electronics sales can indicate strength in those industries, for example. These trends from the retail sales data can help you spot specific investment opportunities, without having to wait for a company's quarterly or annual report.