US Retail Sales rise 0.5% in April as expected

• US Retail Sales increased by 0.5% in April as anticipated.
• The US Dollar Index clings to modest daily gains above 98.50.

Retail Sales in the United States (US) rose by 0.5% on a monthly basis in April to $757.1 billion, the US Census Bureau reported on Thursday. This reading followed the 1.6% increase (revised from 1.7%) recorded in March and came in line with the market expectation. On a yearly basis, Retail Sales were up 4.9% in this period.

"Total sales for the February 2026 through April 2026 period were up 4.4 percent (±0.4 percent) from the same period a year ago," the press releases noted. "The February 2026 to March 2026 percent change was revised from up 1.7 percent (±0.4 percent) to up 1.6 percent (±0.2 percent)."

Market reaction

The US Dollar (USD) stays resilient against its rivals following this report. At the time of press, the USD Index was up 0.13% on the day at 98.58.