Business
Weak Retail Sales Dampen Sharp Q2 Growth Rebound Hopes

In this Dec. 26, 2014, file photo, customers shop at Nordstrom Rack in Schaumburg, Ill. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
(Reuters) – U.S. retail sales were flat in April as households cut back on purchases of automobiles and other big-ticket items, the latest sign the economy was struggling to rebound strongly after barely growing in the first quarter.
The weaker-than-expected retail sales report from the Commerce Department, and other data on Wednesday showing the 10th straight month of declining import prices in April, suggest little urgency for the Federal Reserve to start raising interest rates.
“Hopes for a strong rebound are now fading. The likelihood of a near-term Fed action is almost zero now,” said Thomas Costerg, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank in New York.
While March’s retail sales were revised higher to show a 1.1 percent increase instead of the previously reported 0.9 percent rise, that was not enough to offset the general weak tone of the report. Economists had forecast sales up 0.2 percent in April.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 23 – 29, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 23 – 29, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 16 – 22, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 16 – 22, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 9 – 15, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 9 – 15, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post Endorses Barbara Lee
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of March 28 – April 1, 2025
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of April 2 – 8, 2025
-
#NNPA BlackPress3 weeks ago
Trump Profits, Black America Pays the Price
-
Activism2 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of April 9 – 15, 2025
-
#NNPA BlackPress3 weeks ago
Harriet Tubman Scrubbed; DEI Dismantled
-
#NNPA BlackPress3 weeks ago
Trump Targets a Slavery Removal from the National Museum of African-American History and Culture
-
#NNPA BlackPress3 weeks ago
Lawmakers Greenlight Reparations Study for Descendants of Enslaved Marylanders