Retail sales leap in July on Amazon Prime Day boost, higher gas prices

Published 5:42 am Tuesday, August 15, 2023

U.S. retail sales powered higher last month as higher gas prices and a boost from Amazon’s Prime Day event underscored the ongoing strength of the domestic consumer.

July retail sales rose 0.7% to a collective $696.4 billion, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday, nearly double the Wall Street consensus forecast of a 0.4% gain. The figure is not adjusted for inflation, and includes overall sales of gasoline and other goods that have been volatile in recent months.

The June total was revised to a gain of 0.3% from the original estimate of a 0.2% month-on-month advance, the report also indicated.

Stripping out the auto sector, July retail sales were up 1%, the report noted.

Stand-alone sales of gasoline were up 0.4% as prices rose to $3.712 a gallon on average over month, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That compares to an average of $3.684 per gallon in June.

The closely tracked control group number, which excludes autos, building materials, office suppliers, gas station sales and tobacco and feeds into the government’s GDP calculations, rose 1%, firmly ahead of analysts’ estimates of a 0.2% gain.

Inflationary pressures picked up modestly in July, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics last week, with the headline consumer price index rising to 3.2% from a two-year low of 3% in June. 

U.S. stocks were little changed following the data release, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average indicating a 275 point opening bell decline and those linked to the S&P 500 priced for a 30 point pullback.

Benchmark 10-year Treasury note yields rose 5 basis points to 4.274% following the data release while the dollar index was marked 0.05% higher on the session at 103.245 against a basket of six global currencies. Benchmark 2-year note yields moved past the 5% mark to 5.01%

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