Retail Spending Declines in April

New York, NY, May 13, 2010--Americans spent less in retail outlets in April than they did in March, figures released Thursday show.

The lull comes on the heels of three straight month-to-month gains in the retail spending figures, released by MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse.

April's business was hurt by cool weather as well as an early Easter that spurred sales in March. But the speed bump also shows that the economy remains on uncertain ground, according to Kamalesh Rao, director of economic research for SpendingPulse.

Excluding cars, U.S. retail sales fell 2% last month from March, according to SpendingPulse, which estimates spending in all forms including cash.

That month-to-month decline followed a 1.4% increase in March, a 1.9% gain in February and 2.8% increase in January.

Excluding both gas and auto sales, retail spending rose 0.3% in April from March. In March, that figure rose 1.3% and ticked up 0.6% in February compared with the prior months.