US Retail Sales decline 0.9% in January vs -0.1% expected

• Retail Sales in the US declined more than expected in January.
• The US Dollar Index stays in negative territory below 107.00.

Retail Sales in the United States (US) declined by 0.9% in January to $723.9 billion, the US Census Bureau announced on Friday. This reading followed the 0.7% increase (revised from 0.4%) reported in December and came in worse than the market expectation for a decrease of 0.1%.

"Total sales for the November 2024 through January 2025 period were up 4.2% from the same period a year ago," the press release noted. "Retail trade sales were down 1.2% from December 2024, and up 4.0% from last year."

Market reaction

The US Dollar (USD) stays on the back foot following the disappointing data. At the time of press, the USD Index was down 0.15% on the day at 106.90.