US retail sales fall 0.6pc in July
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Friday 14 Aug 2026
(Sharecast News) - US retail sales fell 0.6% month‑on‑month in July, according to the Census Bureau, sharply missing forecasts for a small increase and more than reversing June's 0.2% gain.
July's reading marked the first decline since October 2025 and the largest drop since May last year.
The weakness was broad‑based, led by a 2.2% fall in non‑store retailers, a 1.8% decline at motor vehicle and parts dealers, a 0.9% drop at gasoline stations and a 0.5% decrease at electronics and appliance stores.
Excluding gasoline, retail sales were also down 0.6%, while sales excluding both autos and gasoline sales slipped 0.2%.
There were pockets of strength, with clothing and accessories stores reporting a 1.9% rise, health and personal care stores up 0.7%, and both building materials and garden supplies dealers and furniture and home furnishings stores posting 0.3% increases.
The control group - which strips out food services, auto dealers, building materials and gasoline stations and feeds directly into GDP calculations - fell 0.4%, its biggest decline since early 2025.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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