US Retail Sales Drop 0.6% in July, Missing Expectations and Signaling Potential Fed Rate Hike Slowdown

Published: Aug 16, 2026 16:57

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Data released by the US Department of Commerce showed that retail sales fell 0.6% MoM in July, missing market expectations of a 0.1% increase and marking the largest decline since May last year. This unexpected contraction further clouded the outlook for US Fed rate hikes.

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