Sandy May Cut East Coast Weekly Retail Sales by About $4 Billion

Hurricane Sandy reduced U.S. retail sales in the northeast by about $4 billion last week, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse.

Retail sales, excluding automobiles, in the area affected by the storm were about $15 billion for the week ending Nov. 3, Michael McNamara, vice president of research, said in a telephone interview. The sales fell short of the researcher’s estimate of about $19 billion, he said.

Sandy struck the U.S. on Oct. 29, leaving millions to grapple with disruptions from power failures, flooding and a crippled transit system, including New York City’s flooded subways.

MasterCard Inc.’s SpendingPulse tracks purchases in all payment forms.