Canada Retail Sales on Pace for Third Quarter Rebound

  • Sales grow in July and August after two weak quarters
  • Report sends more upbeat economic signal than GDP data

The report sends a more upbeat signal about the strength of the Canadian economy than the latest gross domestic product data.

Photographer: Chloe Ellingson/Bloomberg
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Canadian retail sales likely rose sharply in August after a solid July gain, indicating a strong rebound after two consecutive quarters of shrinking sales.

August’s 0.5% rise, based on an advance estimate from Statistics Canada released Friday, is just the third monthly sales gain this year. That follows a 0.9% boost the previous month, which beat expectations for a 0.6% rise in a Bloomberg survey of economists.