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April US Retail Sales Expected to Rise by 0.5%, Up 0.7% Excluding Motor Vehicles

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US retail sales are expected to rise by 0.5% in April after a 1.7% gain in the previous month, according to a survey compiled by Bloomberg, as gasoline prices are forecast to increase further in April and auto sales are seen declining.

Prices of new vehicles fell by 0.2% while used cars and truck prices held steady in the monthly consumer price report, resulting in expectations for lower sales in the motor vehicle and parts category in this week's report.

The data are scheduled to be released at 8:30 am ET Thursday.

Sales outside of motor vehicles are also expected to rise by 0.7% after a 1.9% gain in March, with gasoline station sales forecast to rise further after a 15.5% surge in March. Gasoline prices rose by 5.4% in April after a 21.2% gain in the previous month.

Sales excluding both vehicle sales and gasoline are expected to increase by 0.3%, slower than a 0.6% gain in March, an indication of a return to more normal growth after the March surge.

Excluding motor vehicle, building materials, gasoline station and food services categories, the so-called "control group" is forecast to rise by 0.4% after a 0.8% gain in March.

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