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US Retail Sales Rebound: Broad-Based Surge Despite Tariffs
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July 17, 2025
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4:50Now PlayingDana Telsey, CEO and Chief Research Officer at Telsey Advisory Group, breaks down US retail sales data.
US retail sales rebounded in June in a broad advance, potentially tempering some concerns about a retrenchment in consumer spending.
The value of retail purchases, not adjusted for inflation, increased 0.6% after declines in the prior two months, Commerce Department data showed Thursday. That exceeded nearly all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists. Excluding cars, sales climbed 0.5%.
Ten out of 13 categories posted increases, surprisingly fueled by motor vehicle sales, which climbed after back-to-back declines. Administrative data showed car sales fell in June and prices for new and used vehicles were down in the latest inflation data, defying economists’ expectations for autos to weigh on the headline retail figure.
Thursday’s report offers some relief amid mounting anxiety around the health of the consumer. Americans have been largely pessimistic on the economy and their finances this year as tariffs threaten to worsen a years-long cost-of-living crunch, though sentiment has rebounded somewhat recently.
“There’s still a lot of trepidation about tariffs and likely price hikes, but consumers are willing to buy if they feel they can get a good deal,” Heather Long, chief economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union, said in a note. “The word of the summer for the economy is resilient.”
The better vibes have coincided with some dialing back of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but in the last week, he’s ratcheted up threats again on key trading partners and goods that are slated to take effect next month. At the same time, prices of products more exposed to the duties like toys and appliances rose notably in the latest inflation data, suggesting import costs are getting passed through to consumers.
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