Retail trade figures out on Thursday are expected to show a bounce in seasonally adjusted spending growth over Christmas.

Retail sales are forecast to have edged 0.3 per cent higher in December, better than November’s fall of 0.1 per cent, which was driven by flat result for department store spending.

CommSec chief economist, Craig James, says the recovery after the weak result in November may simply be a case of shoppers leaving it to the last minute to buy presents.

Retail spending for the December quarter is expected to have risen one per cent, after a 0.8 per cent gain in the September quarter.

AAP