U.S. Retail Sales Rise 0.6% in June, Exceeding Expectations

Retail sales in the United States rebounded in June this year.

Participants are marching holding placards at the 'No Kings' rally held on the streets of Manhattan, New York, USA, last June. Photo by Yonhap News

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on the 17th (local time) that U.S. retail sales in June reached $720.1 billion, up 0.6% from the previous month. This figure exceeds the 0.2% increase forecast by experts surveyed by Dow Jones.

U.S. retail sales had declined for two consecutive months earlier this year, falling by 0.2% in April and 0.9% in May compared to the previous month. The uncertainty surrounding tariff policies under the Donald Trump administration is considered to have contributed to the weakness in U.S. consumer spending in the second quarter of this year.