17.06.2025 17:39

US retail sales experienced a steeper-than-anticipated decline in May, falling by 0.9% to a total of $715.4 billion, according to data released by the US Census Bureau on Tuesday. This downturn surpassed market forecasts predicting a 0.7% contraction and followed April's revised 0.1% decrease (previously reported as a 0.1% increase).

The year-on-year growth in retail sales also showed a slowdown, rising by 3.3% in May compared to a 5% increase in April. However, the three-month period encompassing March to May still indicated a positive 4.5% growth compared to the same period in the previous year, offering a slightly more optimistic long-term perspective. Specifically, retail trade sales registered a 3.0% annual increase, despite the monthly downturn.

Accompanying this retail sales data, further economic indicators emerged. Import prices remained stagnant in May, while export prices experienced a 0.9% decrease. Interestingly, these figures did not significantly impact the US dollar's performance; at the time of this writing, the USD Index showed a modest daily dip of 0.04%, trading at 98.10.

The initial report contained an error regarding the April retail sales figure, which was later corrected to reflect a 0.1% decline, rather than the initially reported -1.5%. This correction highlights the importance of verifying economic data from multiple reliable sources. The information was sourced from internet resources.