Retail Sales y/y (GBP) comes in at 4.2% against 1.5% consensus
| Pair | Now | Since publish |
|---|---|---|
| GBPUSD | — | — |
UK Retail Sales year over year for July 2026 came in significantly above market expectations. The actual figure was 4.2%, substantially higher than the consensus forecast of 1.5%. This represents a 180.0% surprise relative to the consensus. The previous month’s reading was 0%.
Following the release, the British Pound showed varied movement against major currencies in the initial 15 minutes. GBPUSD moved up 1.7 pips, while GBPNZD gained 3.6 pips. GBPCAD saw a rise of 1.6 pips. Conversely, GBPAUD declined by 3.8 pips, GBPJPY fell 1.2 pips, and GBPCHF was down 0.4 pips. EURGBP showed a minor gain of 0.3 pips. These initial movements are relatively small when compared to the typical median 1-hour moves observed after past Retail Sales releases, which range from 7 pips for EURGBP to 16 pips for GBPCAD and GBPNZD.