Australia Retail Sales for March, preliminary: +1.4% m/m (expected +1.0%)

Australia Retail Sales for March, preliminary is up 1.4% m/m

• expected +1.0% m/m, prior -0.8%

Up 2.3% y/y (prior +9.1%)

Australian Bureau of Statistics notes:

• The rises were led by Victoria (4%) and Western Australia (5.5%), with both states rebounding from COVID-19 lockdown restrictions during February.
• Queensland, which saw COVID-19 restrictions impact March 2021, saw a minor fall. Brisbane saw a 3-day lockdown at the end of March.

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For background on what was expected:

Australian preliminary retail sales data (March) is due Wednesday 21 April 2021 - preview