Bryan Gildenberg and Brian Jacobsen look at December holiday shopping after a record Black Friday season. Bryan thinks the latest retail sales are good in context, even as the October report came in flat. We look for change, but “we’re really not seeing much,” he says, anticipating patterns to remain as usual. Brian notes that despite the K-shaped economy, lower-income consumers are still spending. He highlights next year’s tax refund season as bolstering the “bottom end of the consumer spectrum.”