Canadian retail sales for May from StatsCan:
– Prior was -0.1% (no revisions)
– Retail sales ex-autos +0.9% vs +0.8% expected
– Prior ex-autos -0.6% (revised to -0.5%)
A separate report from StatsCan on employment insurance recipients showed a 10.4% increase in the number of people on the dole in oil-rich Alberta and up 0.9% nationwide. Retail sales in Alberta were also down 1.7% y/y.
