Key Points:
- Retail sales, a measure of purchases at stores, restaurants and online, rose 0.1% in April, down from an upward revised 1.7% decrease in March.
- Consensus among economists was no change over the month.
- Excluding autos, retail sales rose by 0.1% over the month.
- Retail sales were 5.2% above April 2024 while CPI data released earlier this month showed prices have increased 2.3% in the last year.
- Retail sales are not adjusted for inflation and reflect price differences as well as purchase amounts.
- Total sales for the February 2025 through April 2025 period were up 4.8% from the same period a year ago.
- The Right Facts will continue to monitor retail sales.