Retail data: Consumers 'took a breather' in April

April figures benefited from relatively easy comparisons to April 2009, when consumers also cut their spending.

More concerning trends is contraction in loan creation. Real estate and business loans subsector, which is much bigger than consumer, continues to contract.

Breakdown of Total Bank Credit Growth: Year-over-Year Growth for Total Loans, Business Loans, Real Estate Loans, Home Equity Loans, Consumer Loans, and Cash Assets for Commercial Banks in the US:


Source: news.yahoo.com