Retail sales increased 1.4% in March, greater than expected
Published Wed, Apr 16 20258:30 AM EDTUpdated An Hour Ago
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Jeff Cox
The advanced estimate of retail sales showed an increase of 1.4% on the month, better than the 1.2% Dow Jones estimate and higher than the 0.2% increase in February.
Excluding autos, the numbers also were stronger than expected, with sales up 0.5% compared with the 0.3% forecast.
Consumer spending was stronger than expected in March as demand remained high despite declining sentiment, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.
The advanced estimate of retail sales showed an increase of 1.4% on the month, better than the 1.2% Dow Jones estimate and higher than the 0.2% increase in February. The year-over-year rise was 4.6%, according to numbers adjusted for seasonality but not prices, while the monthly increase was the biggest since January 2023.
Excluding autos, the numbers also were stronger than expected, with sales up 0.5% compared with the 0.3% forecast. Economists expected the auto sales number to jump as buyers tried to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs.
Motor vehicle and parts dealers reported a surge of 5.3% in sales.
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https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/16/retail-sales-march-2025.html
