Retail Sales Post Third Monthly Increase Despite Higher Inflation
Retail sales rose for the third consecutive month in April, gaining 0.5% from March and rising 4.9% year-over-year, the Census Bureau reported Thursday. The increase in spending, which was in line with expectations, occurred despite a 3.8% annualized rise in the Consumer Price Index and diminished consumer confidence.
Total sales for the February 2026 through April 2026 period were up 4.4% from the year-ago period. The February 2026 to March 2026 percentage change was revised downward from 1.7% to 1.6%.
Chris Rupkey, chief economist at fwd.bonds, wrote that the April increase in spending was still at 0.3% if higher gas prices are factored in. “If the spike in energy prices was going to lead to a recession, we would have seen it already,” he wrote, according to U.S. News.com.
U.S. News.com reported that TradeStation global head of market strategy David Russell wrote the April retail numbers “don’t ring any alarm bells at the Fed, so they keep an upward bias on interest rates. The consumer is strong enough to rule out rate cuts.”
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