Today's US numbers are a bit mixed and do little to provide clarity on the outlook for interest rates. Retail sales were better than hoped, rising 0.3% month-on-month versus the -0.2% consensus yet the control group (which strips out volatile components and better matches with broader consumer spending trends) came in at +0.2% as expected while there was a downward revision to April from (+0.7% to +0.6%). The details show building material sales surged 2.2% MoM while motor vehicle and parts sales jumped 1.4% despite the unit auto sales from manufacturers reporting a sizeable contraction (down to an annualised 15.05mn ... (full story)