Retail sales rise 0.6% in February, but impact of Iran war threatens to derail spending [View all]
Source: ABC News/AP
April 1, 2026, 8:43 AM
NEW YORK -- Shoppers increased their spending in February, particularly on cars and clothing, after pulling back at the start of the year due to severe winter storms.
Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in February, from a revised 0.1% decline in January, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
But there's concern that the Iran war, which is sending gasoline prices soaring and whose impact wasn't reflected in the retail sales data, could derail spending at a time when Americans have already been squeezed by years of elevated inflation.
Gas sped past an average of $4 a gallon on Tuesday for the first time since 2022 and jumped another 4 cents overnight. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline hit $4.06 Wednesday. That was a dollar more per gallon before the war.
Read more: https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/retail-sales-rise-06-february-impact-iran-war-131611815
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U.S. retail and food services sales for February 2026 were $738.4 billion, up 0.6% from January 2026.
🛍️ https://census.gov/retail/sales.html
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9:05 AM · Apr 1, 2026
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