Retail Sales Post Third Monthly Increase Despite Higher Inflation

Retail sales rose for the third consecutive month in April, gaining 0.5% from March and rising 4.9% year-over-year, the Census Bureau reported Thursday. The increase in spending, which was in line with expectations, occurred despite a 3.8% annualized rise in the Consumer Price Index and diminished consumer confidence.

Total sales for the February 2026 through April 2026 period were up 4.4% from the year-ago period. The February 2026 to March 2026 percentage change was revised downward from 1.7% to 1.6%.

Chris Rupkey, chief economist at fwd.bonds, wrote that the April increase in spending was still at 0.3% if higher gas prices are factored in. “If the spike in energy prices was going to lead to a recession, we would have seen it already,” he wrote, according to U.S. News.com.

U.S. News.com reported that TradeStation global head of market strategy David Russell wrote the April retail numbers “don’t ring any alarm bells at the Fed, so they keep an upward bias on interest rates. The consumer is strong enough to rule out rate cuts.”

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

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