Urgent.. US retail sales exceed expectations in September.

The U.S. Census Bureau released U.S. retail sales data for September on Thursday, which came in positive and better than market expectations for the fourth consecutive month.

According to the data, U.S. retail sales grew by about 0.4% in August, while markets had anticipated a growth of 0.3%. The previous reading recorded a growth of about 0.1% in August.

At the same time, core retail sales data also exceeded market expectations, with core retail sales growing by 0.5% month-on-month in August, while market forecasts indicated a growth of 0.1%. The previous reading had recorded a growth of 0.2% in August and was revised upward from 0.1%.

The index measures the change in the total value of retail sales. Therefore, this data provides a preliminary look at consumer spending data, which underpins most economic activity. Higher-than-expected data positively impacts U.S. dollar movements and vice versa, particularly since consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of the total GDP, making it an important factor for economic growth.