June retail sales were slower than expected despite the tourism boost added by the World Cup. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
July 16 (UPI) -- U.S. retail spending was weaker than expected while tourists from around the world came to the country for the World Cup.
Retail sales rose 0.2% in June from a revised 1% in May, and up 6.7% from June 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday. Expectations from the data firm FactSet were at 0.3%.
The World Cup and Amazon's Prime Day helped boost spending, but lower gas prices slowed the rise. Excluding gas sales, June spending rose 0.7% after 0.9% in May.
A measure of retail spending that removes sales of building materials and gasoline rose 0.5% in June, which is down from 0.8% in May, but slightly higher than the expected 0.4% increase, CNN reported. It shows consumer demand continued steadily in June.
