by Calculated Risk on 5/13/2015 08:41:00 AM

On a monthly basis, retail sales were unchanged from March to April (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 0.9% from April 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 April, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $436.8 billion, virtually unchanged from the previous month, but 0.9 percent above April 2014. ... The February 2015 to March 2015 percent change was revised from +0.9 percent to +1.1 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 were unchanged.

Retail sales ex-autos increased 0.1%. 

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 3.6% on a YoY basis (0.9% for all retail sales).

The increase in April was below consensus expectations of a 0.2% increase, however March was revised up.