Posted on 04/16/2025 6:50:40 AM PDT by Red Badger
Key Points
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.
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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.
The reading points to spending holding strong despite the crosscurrents of looming tariffs and expectations that the economy is weakening.
“Net, net, these are simply blow out numbers on March retail sales where the rush is on like this is one gigantic clearance sale,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS. “Consumers are expecting sharply higher prices the next year and are clearing the store shelves and picking up bargains while they can.”
Markets reacted little to the release, with stock futures down slightly and longer-dated Treasury yields up.
The retail report counters multiple recent sentiment readings that show widespread fear that Trump’s tariffs will sink the economy into recession and spike prices. Last week, the closely watched University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey posted its second-lowest reading ever and expectations for one-year inflation were the highest since 1981.
Aside from the big move in auto-related sales, sporting goods, hobby and music stores saw a 2.4% increase, while building material and garden stores rose 3.3%. Food service and drinking places were up 1.8%, while gasoline stations reported a 2.5% decline as prices fell during the month.
Drink!
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Everyone gettin’ their chunajunk and Mexican aftermarket auto parts while the gettin’s good?
Funny how every economic marker not based on feelings alone keeps coming in “better than expected.” One might almost think that the lower “sentiment readings” were just based on globalists and propagandists trying desperately to stir up a downturn for their own benefit.
I am serious and don’t call me Shirley.
The media is doing everything they can to “TALK DOWN THE ECONOMY”!..................
Front running the tariffs, I imagine.
I wonder if the credit card debt soared as well?
That would never happen!!!
It’s not like they are trying the old trick: “Trump bad therefore everything bad!!!”
Nah, all is lost. Tarrifs!!! Abandon all hope!!
It will be revised up in two weeks.
That’s a shame! What will the Socialist Democrat/Orange Man Bad crowd do now? ;)
Oh, they’ll find something to b*tch about, I’m sure. They won’t be cheering on America - you can count on that!
There is that word / phrase again
“greater than expected” (unexpected)
These “experts” sure do seem surprised and wrong alot.
“Aside from the big move in auto-related sales, sporting goods, hobby and music stores saw a 2.4% increase, while building material and garden stores rose 3.3%. Food service and drinking places were up 1.8%, while gasoline stations reported a 2.5% decline as prices fell during the month.”
Works for me! ‘Sporting Goods’ is most likely guns and ammo. Also, works for me!
Gold is UP $84/Oz. in the past hour, Silver is UP 59-Cents/Oz.
Also, works for me! MAGA!
I suppose part of the ‘hobby’ sales is JoAnn’s going out of business selloff...........
I don’t have a Joann’s near me, but friends are getting HUGE deals.
I’d rather spend my money on the garden - where spending is also UP! Yay! :)
First we lost A.C. Moore, now JoAnn’s, all we have left is Michael’s and the nearest Hobby Lobby is 20 miles away in Destin............
Mama Like! :)
The only ‘craft’ related thing I ever need is yarn for a few charity projects. (’Warm Up America’ and ‘Project Linus’). I’ve had great success ordering yarn from Hobby Lobby on line.
I was BORN to have things delivered to me; ask my hard-working Fed Ex Man, LOL!
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