May retail sales no match for April's fall
Source: Agencies |
July 5, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SHOPPERS in the eurozone spent a little more freely in May, but not enough to make up for big falls in retail trade the month before and sales were down sharply on a yearly basis as households struggle through the bloc's debt crisis.
Sales at shops in the 17 countries sharing the euro rose 0.6 percent in May after falling 1.4 percent in April, the European Union's statistics office Eurostat said yesterday.
That was better than the 0.3 percent rise forecast by economists in a Reuters poll, but still at levels not seen since the 2009 global financial crisis.
The performance was worse than expectations on an annual basis and retail trade fell 1.7 percent in May compared to the same month last year. Economists had forecast a 0.8 percent fall.
"Europe's debt crisis is likely to have a lasting impact on consumption," said Olivier Bizimana at Morgan Stanley in a note to clients. "Consumers are facing falling net worth and lingering economic uncertainty. The sovereign debt crisis has dented households' financial wealth in core Europe," he said.
Sales in Germany, Europe's biggest and most resilient economy, fell for the second straight month in May and the 1.2 percent increase in France was not enough to compensate for a fall of nearly double that size in April. Spain painted a similar picture.
While retail trade in Belgium rose 0.2 percent in May, volumes have not posted gains since a modest rise last December, and in separately released data this week, new car registrations fell in June on an annual basis.
Sales at shops in the 17 countries sharing the euro rose 0.6 percent in May after falling 1.4 percent in April, the European Union's statistics office Eurostat said yesterday.
That was better than the 0.3 percent rise forecast by economists in a Reuters poll, but still at levels not seen since the 2009 global financial crisis.
The performance was worse than expectations on an annual basis and retail trade fell 1.7 percent in May compared to the same month last year. Economists had forecast a 0.8 percent fall.
"Europe's debt crisis is likely to have a lasting impact on consumption," said Olivier Bizimana at Morgan Stanley in a note to clients. "Consumers are facing falling net worth and lingering economic uncertainty. The sovereign debt crisis has dented households' financial wealth in core Europe," he said.
Sales in Germany, Europe's biggest and most resilient economy, fell for the second straight month in May and the 1.2 percent increase in France was not enough to compensate for a fall of nearly double that size in April. Spain painted a similar picture.
While retail trade in Belgium rose 0.2 percent in May, volumes have not posted gains since a modest rise last December, and in separately released data this week, new car registrations fell in June on an annual basis.
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