by Calculated Risk on 4/14/2015 08:40:00 AM

On a monthly basis, retail sales increased 0.9% from February to March (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 1.3% from March 2014.

From the Census Bureau report:

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for March, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $441.4 billion, an increase of 0.9 percent from the previous month, and 1.3 percent above March 2014. ... The January 2015 to February 2015 percent change was revised from -0.6 percent to -0.5 percent.

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows retail sales since 1992. This is monthly retail sales and food service, seasonally adjusted (total and ex-gasoline).

Retail sales ex-gasoline increased 1.0%.

Retail sales ex-autos increased 0.4%. 

The second graph shows the year-over-year change in retail sales and food service (ex-gasoline) since 1993.

Retail and Food service sales ex-gasoline increased by 4.3% on a YoY basis (1.3% for all retail sales).

The increase in March was below consensus expectations of a 1.0% increase.