US March retail sales +0.7% vs +0.3% expected

• Prior was +0.6%

Details:

• Ex-autos +1.1% versus +0.5% expected.
• Prior ex-autos +0.3%
• Control group +1.1% versus +0.4% expected
• Prior control group 0.0% (revised to +0.3%)
• Retail sales ex gas and autos +1.0% vs +0.3% prior

US retail sales control group looked soft in Jan (-0.3%) and Feb (flat) but with this and the revision higher to Feb, it completely changes the picture. The March reading is the best since Jan 2023.

The caveat to this report could be that it was due to an early Easter. Of course, economists know the date of Easter but it’s a tough to adjust for seasonally.

USD/JPY has blasted through 154.00 on this, running stops up to 154.28.

This article was written by Adam Button at www.forexlive.com.