United States Retail

Retail sales decelerate in April

Latest reading: Nominal retail sales were up 0.5% in seasonally adjusted month-on-month terms in April, following a 1.6% rise in the prior month. Growth was flattered by higher prices for fuel in particular, as retail sales figures aren’t adjusted for inflation. Relative to the previous month's figures, readings in April softened for motor vehicle and parts dealers (-0.4% on a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis vs +0.6% in March), food and beverages (+0.8% vs +1.0% in March), general merchandise stores (+0.1% vs +1.1% in March) and gasoline stations (+2.8% vs +13.7% in March). In contrast, the reading for non-store retailers improved in April (+1.1% vs +0.8% in March). In annual terms, retail sales rose 4.9% in April, following 4.2% growth in the prior month.

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