GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s consumer confidence dropped two points to 77 in November, portending lackluster sales for the holiday retail season, a new University of Florida study finds.

“The growing pessimism about U.S. economic conditions seems to be among all income levels,” said Chris McCarty, director of UF’s Survey Research Center at the Bureau of Economic and Business Research. “Overall we expect the holiday retail season to be weak compared to last year as consumers are cautious about spending too much. We expect growth in retail sales of no more than 3 percent and possibly much lower.”

Dip in Florida’s consumer confidence likely to hurt holiday retail sales - Gainesville Sun