Headline retail sales look great, under the hood is much more mixed/Mfr'g recession likely continuing

Core retail sales rose 1.1% m/o/m in March, well better than the estimate of up .4% and February was revised up by 3 tenths to a .3% gain. Gasoline sales, not included in the core, were up 2.1% m/o/m. Food/beverage sales (includes supermarkets) grew by .5% m/o/m and 3.5%. Health/personal care sales were higher by .4% m/o/m.

Notwithstanding the seemingly strong figure, the internals were VERY mixed. Sales for furniture, electronics, clothing, sporting goods and department stores all fell m/o/m. For autos, not included in the core, sales were down by .7%. On the flip side, most of the sales gains was driven by a 2.7% jump in online retailing and the miscellaneous category which includes convenience stores and pet stores among others. Restaurant and bar sales were up by .4% m/o/m and 6.8% y/o/y and continues to also be a bright spot.