Retail sales rose by 0.9% in May and were up 0.8% excluding a 1.2% gain in auto sales, both above expectations.
A 3.4% surge in gasoline station sales was a key factor, as well as gains at miscellaneous store retailers and nonstore retailers, partially offset by declines at department stores and nonstore retailers.
Control group retail sales, which exclude motor vehicles, gas, building materials, and food services, rose by 0.8% after a 0.4% gain in April.
The National Association of Realtors' pending home sales index jumped by 3.8% in May, above expectations for a 0.9% increase. NAR said that the increase is a sign of pent-up demand, even as mortgage rates remain elevated, adding that more supply of homes is needed. Pending sales were up 4.8% from a year earlier.
Business inventories rose by 0.5% in April after a 1% gain in March. Business sales increased by 1.2% after a 2.2% gain, with increases at the factory, retail and wholesale levels.
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 3.8% decrease in mortgage applications in the week ended June 12 after an 10.8% increase in the previous week. Refinancing activity and new home applications both declined while the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was unchanged.
Total crude oil inventories fell by 17.2 million barrels in the week ended June 12, with commercial oil inventories down 8.3 million barrels and stocks in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve down 8.9 million barrels. Gasoline inventories declined, while distillate inventories increased.
The Q2 GDP nowcast estimate from the Atlanta Fed is for a 3.0% gain, up from the previous estimate of a 2.8% gain.