No Bones About It – this week, Paul Tichy scares up some obscure facts to give us his 2025 Halloween Sectors Report. He answers questions like, “How much does Halloween contribute to the Quarter’s GDP?” “What other sectors benefit from the uptick in ghouls and goblins at your door?” And, “Is this even Paul Tichy at all?” Click and listen to this fun report on sectors, candy and pizza…all of Paul’s favorite things to discuss.

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Have a Wonderful Halloween! 

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FFR 263 – Halloween Sectors Report:

Hi everyone—Paul Tichy here from Stiles Financial—with your Halloween Financial Flash.

This year, Americans will spend about $13.1 billion celebrating Halloween—a fresh record. That’s roughly $115 per person, up from last year as more people decorate, dress up, and hand out treats. Candy remains the star at nearly $4 billion, but costumes edge it out at $4.3 billion, and decorations come close behind at $4.2 billion.

Why does candy feel pricier this year? Well, it can be explained by Cocoa’s wild ride. Even though futures have cooled off recently, retail chocolate prices lag—so the candy and gum CPI is still about 8% higher than last year.

Translation: more sticker shock in the candy aisle, but Americans are still buying.

Now, who benefits in the market? Let’s break it down.

Consumer Staples first—think candy and snacks. Hershey and Mondelez dominate Halloween shelves, while Walmart and Target capture the last-minute treat runs. Higher cocoa costs mean pricing power is key for margins.

Next, Consumer Discretionary—costumes and décor drive sales for retailers like Home Depot, Lowe’s, and specialty apparel retailers such as the Target again, and some of the specialty accessory stores will benefit from the seasonal rush . Spirit Halloween’s parent company is privately held, but that segment benefits from the same seasonal boost.

Communication Services also gets a nod. Streaming giants like Netflix and Disney roll out horror hits and Halloween content, boosting engagement and ad revenue.

Even Industrials make a small appearance. Parcel and logistics firms such as UPS and FedEx handle early-October e-commerce surges before in-store shopping peaks later in the month.

And one last fun stat for your doorstep tonight: Halloween is one of the busiest pizza nights of the year. Delivery platforms report order volumes up roughly thirty percent. Public names like Domino’s Pizza and Papa John’s often see one of their single-day traffic highs.

For perspective, U.S. GDP runs about $30.5 trillion annualized—around $7.6 trillion per quarter—so Halloween’s $13.1 billion equals roughly point 17 percent of a quarter. Not a macro mover, but a fun and resilient micro-boost.

So what’s the bottom line? Halloween spending is broad-based and durable. Seasonal consumer demand supports Staples and Discretionary earnings, while media engagement fuels Communication Services. It won’t move GDP, but it’s a feel-good tailwind for select industries—no tricks, just treats.

I’m Paul Tichy with Stiles Financial—happy Halloween!