Retail Sales Benchmarking Was Unbelievably Negligible,
Shifting Growth Minimally from 2015 through 2017, into 2018

First-Quarter 2018 Real Retail Sales Annualized Contraction
Narrowed to 1.71% (-1.71%) from 2.05% (-2.05%),
Still the Deepest Drop Since the 2009 Depths of the Great Recession

Sharp Downside Benchmark Revisions to New Orders for Durable Goods
Left Real Orders Shy by 7.1% (-7.1%) of Recovering Their Pre-Recession Peak

New- and Existing-Home Sales Both Took Monthly Tumbles in April,
Down Respectively by 1.5% (-1.5%) and 2.5% (-2.5%), Still
Shy by 52.3% (-52.3%) and 24.9% (-24.9%) of Recovering Pre-Recession Peaks