US Retail Sales Unexpectedly Fall

2026-08-14 12:34 By Agna Gabriel 1 min. read

US retail sales fell 0.6% month-on-month in July 2026, sharply missing expectations for a 0.1% rise and reversing June’s 0.2% gain.

It was the first decline since October 2025 and the biggest since May last year, driven by weaker sales at nonstore retailers (-2.2%), likely reflecting spending pulled forward into June after Amazon moved its Prime Day event from July to June this year.

Also, sales fell at motor vehicle & parts dealers (-1.8%), gasoline stations (-0.9%) and electronics & appliance stores (-0.5%).

The data is not adjusted for inflation.

Excluding autos and gasoline, sales fell 0.2%.

Increases were seen in sales at clothing & clothing accessories stores (1.9%), health & personal care stores (0.7%), building material & garden eq.

& supplies dealers (0.3%), and furniture & home furn.

stores (0.3%).

Sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, were down 0.4%, the most since the start of 2025.



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US Retail Sales Unexpectedly Fall
US retail sales fell 0.6% month-on-month in July 2026, sharply missing expectations for a 0.1% rise and reversing June’s 0.2% gain. It was the first decline since October 2025 and the biggest since May last year, driven by weaker sales at nonstore retailers (-2.2%), likely reflecting spending pulled forward into June after Amazon moved its Prime Day event from July to June this year. Also, sales fell at motor vehicle & parts dealers (-1.8%), gasoline stations (-0.9%) and electronics & appliance stores (-0.5%). The data is not adjusted for inflation. Excluding autos and gasoline, sales fell 0.2%. Increases were seen in sales at clothing & clothing accessories stores (1.9%), health & personal care stores (0.7%), building material & garden eq. & supplies dealers (0.3%), and furniture & home furn. stores (0.3%). Sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, were down 0.4%, the most since the start of 2025.
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Retail sales in the US increased 0.9% mom in May 2026, higher than a downwardly revised 0.4% rise in April and above forecasts of 0.5%, signalling a robust consumer spending. Sales increased the most in gasoline stations (3.4%) as gas prices continued to rise due to the war with Iran. The data is not adjusted for inflation. Excluding gas stations, sales rose a firm 0.7%, led by miscellaneous store retailers (2.3%); nonstore retailers (1.5%); autos (1.2%); furniture stores (1%); health (0.6%); general merchandise stores (0.4%); sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument (0.3%); and clothing (0.3%). In contrast, retail sales flattened for building material & garden equipment, food and beverages stores and declined for food services and drinking places (-0.1%) and electronics & appliance stores (-0.5%). Meanwhile, sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, were up 0.7%, following a 0.5% gain in April.
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