Full text of H.8a Weekly Department Store Sales : May 3, 1956

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BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
M e y 3 , 1956

H.8

Department store sales in April showed little change from the level of the preceding month after allowance for the usual seasonal change. The adjusted index is
estimated at 122 per cent of the 19U7-U9 average, compared with 121 for March and
119 for April 1955.
Index of department store sales 1/
191^7-U9 =100
Adjusted for seasonal variation
Without seasonal adjustment

Apr.

1956
Mar.

Feb.

1955
Apr.

el22
el.13

121
110

119
93

119
11U

WEEKLY DEPARTMENT STORE SALES
Federal Reserve
District

Percentage change from corresponding period a year ago
(Based on retail dollar amounts) 2/
Jan. 1
Four weeks
une week ending
ending
to
Apr. 28
I Apr, 28
Apr. 2b I Apr. 21 | Apr. U I Apr. 7

Boston
New York
Philadelphia
Cleveland

+
+
-

5
i
2
6

+ 1
+ 7
r 0
- 2

+1U

-16
-lb
-1U
-20

Richmond
Atlanta
Chicago
St. Louis

+

3
2 .
3
2

rr-

k
6
1
9

+11
0
+ 5
+ 9

-16
-ill.
-10
-16

Minneapolis
Kansas City
Dallas
San Francisco

+ 5
- 7
- 7
0

+
r+

2
1
3
o

+1U
+ 3
+ k
+ 7

U. S. Total

- 2

+ 1

+11

+1U
+20

+ 2k

-

0
+ 2
+ 1
- k
•-

0
+ 2
+ 3
+ k
+ 1

h
6
2
u

+ 3
+ 3

-17
-16
-111
-17

0
- 6
- 6
- 2

+ 3
0
+ 2
+ 1

-15

- 2

+ 2

+

h

U. S, weekly index, without seasonal adjustment, 19U7-U9=100 3/
1956
1955
195U
Apr. 2
Apr,. 3
Mar. 31
122
Ilk
-103
Apr. 9
Apr,. 10
Apr. 7
122
10U
113
Apr. 16
Apr. Ill
Apr,. 17
103
111
118
Apr. 23
Apr,, 2h
Apr. 21
112
113
101
Apr. 30
120
May
Apr. 28
118
1
112
r—Revised.
1/ Monthly indexes refer to daily average sales in calendar month. April 1956
figures estimated from weekly sales. April this year had one less trading day than
last.
2/ During April changes from a year ago reflect in part the fact that last year
Easter .was on April 10 while this year it was on. April 1. For this reason it is
estimated that in comparison with last year an allowance should be made for a
decrease in sales of about h per cent for jthe month of April as a whole. These
allowances apply to the figures for the Unite# States.
Weekly indexes at the district and city levels are published by several of the
Federal
Reserve Banks.
for
FRASER

Digitized