Retail Sales YoY (year-over-year) are a monthly economic reading released by the US Census Bureau, which measures the change in retail sales for all types of stores on a yearly basis, calculating each month compared to the same month over a year ago. Higher readings or rising readings are positive for the US Dollar and the US economy, indicating higher consumer spending and higher future economic growth measured by the GDP numbers. The readings present variability due to seasonality. If the economy is growing, then the expectations are for higher readings of the retail sales, reflecting also increased consumer spending confidence and optimism for the future economic outlook.
The United Sales YoY
The United Sales YoY latest economic reading for the month of June 2017 was 2.80%, lower than the forecast of 3.80% and the previous reading of 3.80%. For the first semester of the year the United Sales YoY peaked with a reading of 5.60% in January, and the readings ever since are lower, indicating weaker growth in retail sales and consumer spending, and potentially lower future economic growth. The Retail Sales YoY have an average of 4.37% for the period of years 1993-2017, and al-time high reading of 11.20% in March of 1994, and an all-time low reading of -11.50% in March of 2009.
