While no one expects US retail sales to grow as explosively in April as they did in March, many analysts expect a modest rise. However, the reality has disappointed the market.

Us retail sales figures for April were 0 per cent month-on-month, below expectations of 1 per cent, according to official figures released today. To make matters worse, core retail sales in the US fell 0.8 per cent in April from a month earlier and are expected to grow by 0.3 per cent.

Us retail sales rose to $619.9 billion in April.

As concerns about the COVID-19 epidemic recede, consumer spending may start to shift more towards services such as entertainment and travel, while savings from fiscal stimulus should help support retail demand.

Sales fell in eight of the 13 retail categories in April, with clothing stores falling the most and retail sales at restaurants and car dealerships rising.

Of this total, sales at US car dealerships rose $68.5 billion to $129.9 billion in April from a year earlier.

Us retail sales, which exclude sales of food services, car dealerships, building materials and gas stations, fell 1.5 per cent in April from a month earlier.

The US import price index for April was 10.6 per cent year on year and is expected to be 10.2 per cent.

Affected by this, the dollar index fell 0.4% to a daily low of 90.35.

It is worth noting that the retail sales data in the United States hit 9.8% in March, the highest level since May last year.