TRENDING:

EUR/USD

GBP/USD

Japanese Retail Trade rises faster than expected in May, growing 3% versus the forecast 2%

Joshua Gibson FXStreet

Japan's Retail Trade for the year ended in May, clocking in at 3% YoY versus the forecast hold at 2.0%. On the downside, the previous period's print was revised down to 2.0% from the initial print of 2.4%.

Large Retailer Sales also increased in May, climbing to 4% YoY versus the previous month's print of 3%.

Seasonally-adjusted Japanese Retail Trade revealed a front-loaded uptick in retail activity, with MoM large retailer sales clocking in at 1.7% in May compared to April's 1.2%.

Economic Indicator

Retail Trade (YoY)

The Retail Trade data, released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on a monthly basis, measures the total value of goods sold by retailers in Japan. Changes in Retail Sales are widely followed as an indicator of consumer spending. Percent changes reflect the rate of changes in such sales, with the YoY reading comparing sales values in the reference month with the same month a year earlier. Generally, a high reading is seen as bullish for the Japanese Yen (JPY), while a low reading is seen as bearish.

Market reaction

USD/JPY is slipping back i nearly Thursday trading, sliding to 160.50 after hitting a fresh 38-year peak on Wednesday. The pair clipped into an almost four-decade high at 160.87 this week, hitting bids that have remained unseen since 1986.

USD/JPY five minute chart

About Japanese Large Retailer Sales

The Large Retailer Sales data, released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on a monthly basis, measures the total value of goods sold by large retailers in Japan. Changes in Retail Sales are widely followed as an indicator of consumer spending. Percent changes reflect the rate of change in such sales. Generally, a high reading is seen as bullish for the Japanese Yen (JPY), while a low reading is seen as bearish.

Author

Joshua Gibson

FXStreet

Joshua joins the FXStreet team as an Economics and Finance double major from Vancouver Island University with twelve years' experience as an independent trader focusing on technical analysis.

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD eyes 1.1800 barrier near two-month highs

EUR/USD extends its gains for the second consecutive day on Tuesday and approaches 1.1800. On the daily chart, technical analysis indicates a persistent bullish bias, as the pair moves upward within the ascending channel pattern. Additionally, the 14-day Relative Strength Index at 68.89 reaffirms the bullish bias.

GBP/USD climbs to 1.3500 area, renews ten-week high

GBP/USD extends its weekly rally and trades at its highest level since early October near 1.3500. The US Dollar remains under persistent bearish pressure heading into the holidays, while Pound traders largely brush off the latest interest rate cut from the Bank of England.

Gold approaches $4,500 as record-setting rally continues

Gold builds on Monday's impressive gains and advances toward $4,500, setting fresh record-highs along the way. Heightened geopolitical tensions, combined with the broad-based US Dollar (USD) weakness ahead of the Q3 GDP data, help XAU/USD preserve its bullish momentum.

Uniswap holds above $6 as traders eye UNIfication vote outcome

Uniswap price holds above $6 at the time of writing on Tuesday after closing above a key resistance zone in the previous week. Traders are focusing on the highly anticipated UNIfication proposal, which is set to conclude on Thursday, and could become a key near-term catalyst. On the technical side, momentum indicators are flashing bullish signals, hinting at an upside rally.

Ten questions that matter going into 2026

2026 may be less about a neat “base case” and more about a regime shift—the market can reprice what matters most (growth, inflation, fiscal, geopolitics, concentration). The biggest trap is false comfort: the same trades can look defensive… right up until they become crowded.

XRP steadies above $1.90 support as fund inflows and retail demand rise

Ripple (XRP) is stable above support at $1.90 at the time of writing on Monday, after several attempts to break above the $2.00 hurdle failed to materialize last week. Meanwhile, institutional interest in the cross-border remittance token has remained steady.