US April Retail Sales Rise 0.5%, Matching Estimates
Summary
- The Commerce Department said US retail sales rose 0.5%% in April from a month earlier, matching market estimates (0.5%%).
- US retail sales rose 4.87%% in April from a year earlier, while the January figure was revised to a 1.6%% monthly increase.
- Wall Street has worried that tariff policy uncertainty under the second Trump administration and recession fears could hurt consumer sentiment and weigh on personal consumption expenditures.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
US retail sales rose 0.5% in April from the prior month, in line with market expectations.
The Commerce Department said on May 14 that April retail sales increased 0.5% from a month earlier, matching economists' forecasts.
Retail sales rose 4.87% from a year earlier. The January figure was revised to a 1.6% monthly gain from the previously reported 1.7% increase.
The monthly US retail sales report is a preliminary indicator that mainly tracks goods purchases within overall consumer spending. It is regarded as a gauge of shifts in consumption, a key pillar of the US economy.
Wall Street has worried that uncertainty over tariff policy under President Donald Trump's second administration, along with recession concerns, could weaken consumer sentiment and weigh on personal consumption expenditures.
JOON HYOUNG LEE
gilson@bloomingbit.ioCrypto Journalist based in Seoul
