The Labor Department reported that the consumer price index increased by 0.2% in April (seasonally adjusted), following a 0.1% increase in March and (+0.2%) in February. The all items index grew by 2.3% in the past year, a slight deceleration from March's 2.4% and the slowest annual pace since February 2021. April's monthly increase was largely driven by a 0.3% rise in the shelter index, which accounted for over half of the total. The energy index also saw a 0.7% increase, with natural gas (up 3.7%) and electricity (up 0.8%) price hikes offsetting a 0.1% decrease in gasoline. The food index, however, declined by 0.1%. Core CPI inflation edged up by 0.2% in April, following a 0.1% increase in March and a 0.2% rise in February, maintaining an annual rate of 2.8%. The shelter index's 4.0% year-over-year increase matched the previous month's, representing the smallest gain since November 2021. Notably higher year-over-year indexes included motor vehicle insurance (+6.4%), education (+3.8%), food (+2.8%), medical care (+2.7%), and recreation (+1.6%).

The Labor Department reported that the producer price index for final demand, which tracks the prices producers pay for goods and services, decreased by 0.5% in April. This followed an upwardly revised unchanged reading for March and a 0.2% increase in February. Over the 12 months ending in April 2025, the PPI rose by 2.4%. The April decline was primarily driven by a significant 0.7% drop in final demand services, the largest since December 2009, largely due to a 1.6% decrease in margins for final demand trade services. Specifically, machinery and vehicle wholesaling margins fell sharply by 6.1%, contributing 40% to the overall decrease in final demand services. The core PPI, which excludes food, energy, and trade services, decreased by 0.1%, following a downwardly revised 0.2% increase for March and a 0.4% increase in February. For the 12-month period ending in April 2025, core PPI inflation was 2.9%, a deceleration from 3.5% for the 12-month period ending in March 2025.

The Commerce Department reported a 0.1% rise in advance U.S. retail and food services sales in April, bringing the total to $724.1B. This follows a significantly upwardly revised 1.7% increase in March. Year-over-year, retail sales have increased by 5.2%, and the February-April period shows a 4.8% increase compared to last year. Sales increases were noted in building & garden (+0.8%), home furnishings (+0.3%), and internet retail (+0.2%). Meanwhile, restaurant sales (the sole service category) grew by 1.2% in April and a notable 7.8% from the previous year. Miscellaneous store retailers saw the most significant sales decline (-2.1%), with department stores (-1.4%) and gasoline stations (-0.5%) all reporting decreases. Excluding the motor vehicles & parts sector, retail sales were up 0.1%. When gasoline is also excluded, the increase was 0.2%, a decrease from February's upwardly revised 1.1% increase.