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What are Retail Sales?
The Retail Sales figure is a report in the US released every month and confirms if the value of the total retail sales has increased or decreased. The report is usually released 16 days after the month has ended by the Census Bureau. Many calendars will show the data as a percentage, indicating how much the value is lower or higher than the previous month. For example, if the figure is 0.5%, the value is 0.5% higher than the last month.
Why is it important to the currency?
A higher Retail Sales figure than the previous month is positive for the currency. A higher-than-expected Retail Sales figure is positive for the currency.
Why is it important to the Stocks?
A higher Retail Sales figure compared to the previous month is positive for the stock market. A higher-than-expected Retail Sales figure is positive for the stock market. A lower-than-expected figure is negative for the stock market. Consecutive declines are also considered negative for the stock market, indicating lower consumer demand.