- Retail Sales in the US rose slightly in April.
- The US Dollar Index remains under modest bearish pressure, hovering below the 101.00 mark.
Retail Sales figures for the United States (US) indicated a marginal increase of 0.1% in April, reaching $724.1 billion, according to the latest report released by the US Census Bureau on Thursday. This figure represents a deceleration from the 1.5% growth (revised upwards from an initial estimate of 1.4%) observed in March, but marginally exceeded consensus forecasts which had anticipated no change. Year-over-year, Retail Sales demonstrated a robust expansion of 5.2%, highlighting continued consumer spending despite inflationary pressures. This data point offers a snapshot of the current economic climate, suggesting resilience in consumer demand.
“Aggregate sales for the three-month period spanning February 2025 through April 2025 exhibited a 4.8% increase compared to the corresponding period last year,” the official press release stated. “Retail trade sales experienced a slight contraction of 0.1% from March 2025, but remained 4.7% higher than the previous year.” This mixed picture suggests a potential moderation in the pace of retail growth, warranting close observation of future data releases to ascertain whether this trend persists. Economists will be closely analyzing these figures in conjunction with other economic indicators to gauge the overall health of the US economy and potential implications for monetary policy.
