US Retail Sales rise 0.6% to $738.4 billion in February

• Retail Sales in the US rose more than expected in January.
• The USD Index stays deep in negative territory below 99.50.

Retail Sales in the United States (US) rose 0.6% to $738.4 billion in February, the US Census Bureau reported on Wednesday. This print followed the 0.1% contraction recorded in January and came in slightly better than the market expectation for an increase of 0.5%.

"Total sales for the December 2025 through February 2026 period were up 3.1 percent from the same period a year ago," the press release read.

Market reaction

The US Dollar (USD) struggles to find demand in the American session on Wednesday. At the time of press, the USD Index was down 0.42% on the day at 99.44.