US Retail Sales Rise as Expected in April

2026-05-14 12:32 By Joana Taborda 1 min. read

Retail sales in the US increased 0.5% mom in April 2026, following a downwardly revised 1.6% gain in March and in line with forecasts.

Sales at gasoline stations recorded the biggest increase (2.8%), as gasoline prices continued to rise due to the war with Iran.

Retail sales data is not adjusted for inflation.

Excluding gas stations, sales rose 0.3%.

Other increases were also seen in sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book stores (1.4%); electronics stores (1.4%); nonstore retailers (1.1%); food and beverages (0.8%); food services & drinking places (0.6%); and miscellaneous retailers (0.3%).

In contrast, sales fell the most at furniture stores (-2%), followed by clothing (-1.5%) and auto dealers (-0.5%) and were unchanged at health and personal care stores.

Meanwhile, sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, also increased 0.5%, following a 0.8% gain in March and above expectations of 0.4%.



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US Retail Sales Rise as Expected in April
Retail sales in the US increased 0.5% mom in April 2026, following a downwardly revised 1.6% gain in March and in line with forecasts. Sales at gasoline stations recorded the biggest increase (2.8%), as gasoline prices continued to rise due to the war with Iran. Retail sales data is not adjusted for inflation. Excluding gas stations, sales rose 0.3%. Other increases were also seen in sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book stores (1.4%); electronics stores (1.4%); nonstore retailers (1.1%); food and beverages (0.8%); food services & drinking places (0.6%); and miscellaneous retailers (0.3%). In contrast, sales fell the most at furniture stores (-2%), followed by clothing (-1.5%) and auto dealers (-0.5%) and were unchanged at health and personal care stores. Meanwhile, sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, also increased 0.5%, following a 0.8% gain in March and above expectations of 0.4%.
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US retail sales rose sharply by 1.7% in March 2026, surpassing market expectations of 1.4% and following an upwardly revised 0.7% increase in February. This marks the steepest growth since March 2025, driven largely by a record 15.5% surge in gasoline station receipts as fuel prices spiked amid the escalating conflict with Iran. Despite rising pump prices, consumer spending remained solid across nearly all categories, likely boosted by larger-than-usual tax refunds. Sales increased at motor vehicle and parts dealers (0.5%), furniture and home furnishing stores (2.2%), electronics and appliance stores (0.9%), building material and garden equipment suppliers (0.7%), food and beverage stores (0.7%), health and personal care stores (0.5%), general merchandise stores (1.0%), and nonstore retailers (1.0%). Receipts at restaurants and bars, the only service-sector category in the report, advanced 0.1%. Core retail sales, excluding volatile sectors, climbed 0.7%, exceeding forecasts of 0.2%.
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Retail sales in the US jumped 0.6% month-over-month in February 2026, rebounding from a 0.1% drop in January and above forecasts of a 0.5% gain. It is the strongest performance in seven months, with sales rising the most at department stores (3%), health and personal care stores (2.3%), clothing (2%), sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book stores (1.3%), motor vehicle and part dealers (1.2%) and miscellaneous store retailers (1.1%). Other increases were also seen in gasoline stations (0.9%), nonstore retailers (0.7%), electronics and appliances (0.5%) and building material and garden equipment (0.4%). On the other hand, retail sales were lower at food and beverages (-1%) and furniture (-1%) stores. Meanwhile, sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, were up 0.5%, higher than forecasts of 0.3%.
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