U.S. Shoppers Ignore the Noise | S3 E140 | 04-22-26
The U.S. consumer continues to show surprising strength.
In today’s Markets with Megan, Megan Horneman breaks down the March retail sales report and explains why consumer spending came in much stronger than expected. Headline retail sales rose 1.7% in March, marking the biggest monthly increase in a year, while core measures also pointed to broad-based strength.
Megan walks through what was driving the spending, from gasoline and autos to more discretionary categories like furniture, electronics, dining out, and online shopping. She also explains why this report matters, what tax refunds may have contributed, and why weak consumer sentiment still is not showing up in actual spending behavior.
Key topics covered:
March retail sales data
Core retail sales strength
Consumer resilience despite high gas prices
Discretionary spending trends
Tax refunds and spending activity
Consumer sentiment vs. actual behavior
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