Retail Sales Control Group

The so-called Retail Sales Control Group data, released by the US Census Bureau on a monthly basis, measures the value in total receipts of retail and food stores in the United States excluding receipts from auto dealers, building-materials retailers, gas stations, office supply stores, mobile home dealers and tobacco stores. The data is adjusted for seasonal variations as well as holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes. Retail sales data is widely followed as an indicator of consumer spending, which is a major driver of the US economy. The & "control group" is a more precise measure of gauging consumer spending. Generally, a high reading is seen as bullish for the US Dollar (USD), while a low reading is seen as bearish.