Home Depot, the US retail giant, suffered from a myriad of losses affecting the US economy right now. US News reported that the poor state of the nation's housing market, as well as the current weather system affecting the US, weighed heavily on Home Depot's home sales during the end of last year.

The disturbing news is that the trend could continue well into 2019. During the fourth quarter, Home Depot Inc suffered on a few fronts. Profits were not meeting expectations. Revenue, as well as same-store sales, failed to make their quotas too. Real estate prices weren't helping matters any as US home sales weighed heavily on the store's home-improvement products.

The cold weather, attributed to a weather system affecting the US well into this year, hasn't been kind to the retail giant as well. CEO Craig Menear said that the wet weather affected key facets of the store's operation, like projects, logistics, and other time-sensitive operations. It was also seen in the sales performance of the company during that period of time.

A brief silver lining would be Home Depot's strong performance despite the general losses. Fourth quarter sales were estimated to have risen 10.9% to $26.5 billion. Same-store sales managed at 3.2% while regional same-store sales improved to 3.7%. That, however, seemed just enough for the shop to overcome any negative effects on its losses, according to Retail Dive.

This was largely due to the increase in people looking for holiday gifts this year. The snow and ice failed to hinder them from coming to the store, while the deals that the retailer offered during the season had done its job. Snow-cleaning equipment was also a big hit as many people dug snow off their walks and cleared their pathways.

Home Depot may also have benefited from the struggles that Sears fell into, most particularly in the appliance category. The store, along with Best Buy, remained one of those who capitalized on the unfortunate circumstance that Sears found itself under. J.C Penney also followed suit.

Home Depot, despite the slowdown of the home market, is on course to deliver profits and revenue quarter after quarter, according to reports. The company is still on course to deliver sales growth quotations of 5.0 percent in 2019, better than most analysts have eyed for the retail giant.