US retail sales shrink for second straight month in April

The world's biggest economy is on its way to the biggest slump since the Great Depression of the 1930s

Published Fri, May 15, 2020 · 09:50 PM

Washington

US retail sales endured a second straight month of record declines in April, as the novel coronavirus pandemic kept Americans at home, putting the economy on track for its biggest contraction in the second quarter since the Great Depression.

The Commerce Department said on Friday that retail sales plunged 16.4 per cent last month, the biggest decline since the government started tracking the series in 1992. Data for March was revised to show receipts at retailers falling 8.3 per cent i…