US retail sales bounce around in a whipsaw trade environment
July 17, 2025
After an earlier pullback, consumers picked up their spending in June showing resilience despite anxiety high over tariffs and the U.S. economy. Retail sales rose 0.6% in June after declining a 0.9% in May, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Sales in April were down 0.1%, pulled down by a steep drop in auto sales, after Americans ramped up their car-buying in March to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s 25% duty on imported cars and car parts.Excluding autos andautomotive parts, sales rose 0.5%.
