UK Retail Sales jump 1.2% MoM in April vs. 0.2% expected

The United Kingdom (UK) Retail Sales jumped 1.2% month-over-month (MoM) in April after advancing 0.1% in March (revised from 0.4%), the latest data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Friday. Markets expected a 0.2% rise in the reported month.

The core Retail Sales, stripping the auto motor fuel sales, rose 1.3% MoM, compared to the previous revised growth of 0.2% and the estimated 0.3% reading.

The annual Retail Sales in the UK climbed 5.0% in April versus March’s 1.9%, while the core Retail Sales also grew 5.3% in the same month versus 2.6% previous revision. Both readings came in above the market expectations.