Economic Buzz: UK monthly retail sales balance recovers from all-time low in May

UK retailers reported lower sales in May against a backdrop of weak demand, but not the record downturn they had reported a month earlier, according to figures released by the Confederation of British Industry on Tuesday. The CBI's monthly retail sales balance rose to a three-month high of -46 in May from -68 in April, the series' lowest reading since it began in 1983. Expected sales for June rose ⁠to -36 from the -60 expected for May, while sales for the time of year slipped to their lowest since June 2025 at -35, down from -32 in April.

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