A worker assists with check-out at a Costco store in Teterboro, New Jersey, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024.
Retail spending was weaker than expected in May as consumers continued to wrestle with stubbornly higher levels of inflation.
Sales rose just 0.1% on the month, one-tenth of a percentage point below the Dow Jones estimate, according to a Commerce Department report Tuesday that is adjusted for seasonality but not inflation.
On a year-over-year basis, sales rose 2.3%.
The sales number was worse when excluding autos, with a decline of 0.1% against the estimate for a 0.2% increase.
Persons:
Dow Jones, Patrick Harker
Organizations:
Costco, Commerce Department, Federal Reserve, Fed, Philadelphia Fed
Locations:
Teterboro , New Jersey, US